John van Hengel

In the late 1960s, van Hengel was divorced and went about a plan to change his life. He quit his career in public relations and moved to Phoenix, Ariz., and "stumbled into do-gooding," he once said: he decided to help feed hungry people. "One day I tried to pawn off this idea of mine on the priests at St. Mary's," he remembered. "I told them what we needed in this town was a clearinghouse for all the surplus food from the various markets -- food just getting thrown away -- and they said, 'Good idea. Do it.' They got me a building and a little funding so quick I couldn't get out of it." Later, a surprise donation of $10,000 really got things into gear. It was 1967, and van Hengel had created the first "food bank". In its first year, the St. Mary's Food Bank distributed about 250,000 pounds of food. In its last fiscal year, it distributed about 60 million pounds of food. Van Hengel went on to consult with other cities on how to set up food banks. He also helped found America's Second Harvest, an association of more than 200 food banks. "John changed the world," said the original food bank's current director, Terry Shannon. "He created this wonderful, simple, brilliant concept of food banking and he has touched millions. What a legacy!" He died October 5 in a Phoenix hospice. He was 83. From This is True for 2 October 2005 Suggestions for further reading: A Billion Bootstraps: Microcredit, Barefoot Banking, and The Business Solutio... By: Philip SmithEric Thurman List Price: $24.95 Amazon Price: $18.21 Editorial Review: A bold manifesto by two business leaders, A Billion Bootstraps shows why microcredit is the world's most powerful poverty-fighting movement-and an unbeatable investment for your charitable donations. A Billion Bootstraps unearths the roots of the microcredit revolution, revealing how the pioneering work of people such as Dr. Muhammad Yunus-winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize-is giving hope to billions. Philanthropist and self-made millionaire Phil Smith and microcredit expert and consultant Eric Thurman provide a riveting narrative that explores how these small loans, arranged by ?barefoot bankers,? enable impoverished people to start small businesses, support their families, and improve local economies. By paying back their loans instead of simply accepting handouts, men and women around the world are continually giving others the same opportunity to change their futures. Smith and Thurman also examine why traditional charity programs, while providing short-term relief, often perpetuate the problems they are trying to alleviate, and how applying investment principles to philanthropy is the key to reversing poverty permanently. A Billion Bootstraps explains how ordinary people can accelerate the microcredit movement by investing charitable donations in specific programs and then leveraging those contributions so the net cost to lift one person out of poverty is remarkably low. You'll discover how to get more for your money by donating with the mind-set of an investor and calculating measurable returns-returns that will change lives and societies forever.   Ending Hunger Now By: George McGovernBob DoleDonald, E Messer List Price: $12.00 Amazon Price: $9.60 Editorial Review: Veteran statesmen George McGovern and Robert Dole here find common cause with theologian and activist Donald Messer in this powerful testimony and appeal to people of faith. They are each convinced we can overcome global hunger now, and their informed, strategic, impassioned thoughts encourage and equip. This book brings together their disparate yet powerful voices behind a shared conviction: that helping the millions who lack basic provision for food has become a religious imperative and human priority.Writing for congregations and individuals of faith, McGovern, Dole, and Messer appeal to the biblical, theological, and ethical foundations of action against hunger.   Grace at the Table: Ending Hunger in God's World By: David BeckmannArthur Simon List Price: $10.95 Amazon Price: $8.76 Editorial Review: Every fifteen minutes a jumbo jet filled with children crashes, leaving no survivors. The jet is actually hunger, but the haunting image is real--33,000 children dead each day. What is even more haunting is that the deaths are unnecessary because the world has long had the technology and experience to end hunger. Its persistence is a challenge to the integrity of everyone who claims the name Christian. This primer on the causes and cures of hunger is written by Bread for the World's founding president Arthur Simon and current president David Beckmann. Never oversimplifying, the book shows how issues such as population, resources, economics, and human rights are interwoven in their impact on hunger. The book gives compelling biblical motivation for personal action and public policy--and explains practical strategies individuals can take to help effect worldwide change. Using a question-and-answer format for clear reading, stories and examples for personalization, and graphics and sidebars for eye-appeal, this is an important book for all Christians. It's of special interest to Bread for the World members, social justice workers, parish social-action committees, grassroots activists, historians, political scientists, and anyone concerned with the poor.   Ending World Hunger: School Lunches for Kids Around the World (Interviews wit... By: William Lambers List Price: $5.00 Amazon Price: $5.00 Editorial Review: Ending World Hunger: School Lunches for Kids Around the World (Interviews with officials from the United Nations World Food Programme about school feeding initiatives that fight child hunger)   The Third Freedom: Ending Hunger in Our Time By: George McGovern List Price: $14.95 Amazon Price: $14.95 Editorial Review: In this book, George McGovern lays out a workable and affordable five-point program to end world hunger. And in the midst of this heated debate one compelling moral issue is clear--every major religion and ethical formulation commands its adherents to feed the hungry. We feed the hungry because it is right. McGoven contends that it will also be economically beneficial to all.

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