Founded in 1967 by John van Hengel, St. Mary's was the first modern organization to operate using the food bank model, which spread throughout U.S. and the rest of the world.

[1] Since its creation, St. Mary's has expanded its operations to nine of Arizona's fifteen counties,[1] distributing millions of pounds of food to the hungry each year.

St. Mary's is a member of Feeding America, a network of hunger-relief organizations also founded by van Hengel with the purpose of providing food to people across the country.

[2] Prior to founding St. Mary's Food Bank, John van Hengel lived in Phoenix and volunteered at St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen.

Van Hengel spent much of his time collecting food to supply the soup kitchen and donating the surplus to the homeless throughout the city.

Guided by the motto "the poor we shall always have with us, but why the hungry?," St. Mary's continued to attract more volunteers and partner agencies to its mission, allowing the food bank to expand its reach through Phoenix and much of Arizona.

Van Hengel was offered a federal grant to help spread the food banking concept across the country and left St. Mary's to form the organization known today as Feeding America.

Spark Change" is one such campaign, where Walmart associates work with local volunteers to distribute meals from mobile food pantries across the state.

Additionally, Walmart and Sam's Club donate a predetermined amount of money to St. Mary's when customers buy select items in stores.

St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance is classified as a "qualifying charitable organization" by the Arizona Department of Revenue, meaning that residents can receive a tax credit for donations up to $800.