(xposed over at [skippy's http://xnerg.blogspot.com/])
his name isn't emblazoned in lights. he didn't star in blockbuster movies nor jump on couches on talk shows. he didn't have a million dollar salary or drive the newest mercedes. he didn't play sports or pose for photos in glamour magazines. he didn't make his name known by yelling on tv's talking head shows.
in these days of hero worship, we've forgotten who the true heroes are. and john van hengel was a true hero.
*john van hengel, who founded what is widely regarded as the nation's first food bank in an abandoned phoenix bakery in 1967 and helped cities around the world set up similar systems to feed the poor, has died. he was 83.*
van hengel, who had parkinson's disease and had suffered several strokes, died wednesday in a phoenix hospice care facility, according to an announcement from america's second harvest, a national hunger-relief organization that grew out of his efforts.
"we have lost a true american hero," robert forney, president of america's second harvest, said in a statement. "he created food banks because he realized that millions of pounds of nutritious food were being wasted at the same time that millions of americans were going hungry.
"the idea for creating a clearinghouse for unwanted food from grocery stores struck van hengel when a social worker introduced him to a mother of 10 whose husband was on death row.
feeding her children was no problem because she shopped daily in refuse bins in back of a grocery store, she had said.when van hengel checked the bins, he found food that was frozen but still edible, loose vegetables and stale bread. inside the store, he found less-perishable castoffs, such as dented cans and bags leaking rice and sugar.
within a year, a bakery near skid row that had been willed to st. mary's church became a place where trucks from several arizona cities brought food that grocery companies could not sell.
that first year, 250,000 pounds of food was distributed to 36 charities. during the year ending in june, st. mary's had distributed about 60 million pounds of food to 900 agencies.
the term "food bank" was coined when a grandmother, who was one of van hengel's initial helpers, drew a cartoon of a building with food being deposited and happy faces making withdrawals. she said they had built a bank of food.
"john changed the world. he created this wonderful, simple, brilliant concept of food banking, and he has touched millions," terry shannon, director of the phoenix food bank that van hengel founded, told the arizona republic. - latimes
john van hengel set out to change his life and ended up changing the world
- azrepublic
god speed, john. god bless. for those who claim to talk to god, i think you actually listened to what he said.
please remember john today. please make a little donation to his little idea that made a difference.