Remembering John van Hengel

It is hard to believe a year has gone by since the passing of John van Hengel. John moved on to the “big food bank in the sky” but left behind an incredible legacy here on earth. In 1967, John took the very simple concept of “rescuing food about to be discarded, consumable but maybe not salable, and making it available in a centralized place to those in need” and through his efforts, changed the world. His legacy is truly secure as you look at the impact he made during his time with us.

Please join me at 10:00 AM on Thursday, October 5th for a moment of silence as we commemorate the one year anniversary of John’s death. Announcements will be made over the PA systems in each of our food banks at 10:00 AM asking everyone to stop whatever they are doing for a few moments and reflect on the impact John had on the world and the responsibility we now have in continuing to carry his legacy and mission into the future.

John is credited with not only founding the St. Mary’s Food Bank, the “World’s First Food Bank”, but he is also recognized as the Founder of America’s Second Harvest (a network of over 200 food banks across the USA) and the Global Foodbanking Network (GFN is a growing international network of food banks). Recently, I have been asked to serve on the Board of Directors of GFN to help guide the organization’s staff in continuing John’s efforts to develop food banks all over the world. As a member of the GFN Board I will be heading up a committee to create the John van Hengel Fellowship to be awarded to a current food banker in the United States who is willing to serve for a 30 to 60 day period in another part of the world, assisting them in the start up of a local food bank operation.

Please join me on Thursday and take a moment to remember John, what he created and what he stood for…….he would be very proud of what we have accomplished over the last year, especially the creation and role out of our organizational Values.

St. Mary's/Westside Food Bank Alliance Values Celebration

I want to say a big THANK YOU to all staff for participating in the Values Celebration September 28, 2006! It was a great time of fellowship with one another, a time for the “food bank family” to be all together, a time of sharing the newly defined Alliance Values, a time for some good food and beverages, and a time to enjoy the FAMILY FEUD VALUES EDITION game! And of course, who can ever forget our two hosts for the event—

Steve “Richard Dawson Wannabe” Robinson and our very own “Disco Babe” Kate Thoene!

The Values Committee did an excellent job in compiling the values and bringing them to a point of presentation and introduction. The values were developed by employees for employees, at all levels! I’m really excited about having our new Alliance Values in place, a set of values that will move our food bank forward in a significantly positive and rewarding way, as we continue our commitment to the mission of the food bank.

My gratitude and appreciation also to the members of our Board of Directors who were able to share the Values Celebration with us. Your tireless dedication and commitment to the food bank is greatly appreciated!

Now, let’s channel our efforts towards living and working the values—the Alliance Values!