St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance

St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance, the world's first food bank, is a non-sectarian, nonprofit organization that alleviates hunger by efficiently gathering and distributing food to sites that serve the hungry. Serving 13 of Arizona's 15 counties, the organization is committed to volunteerism, building community relationships and improving the quality of life for Arizonans in need.

St. Mary's Food Bank takes very seriously and with unmatched pride its commitment as a responsible non-profit organization that is accountable to the community it serves. Over five decades, St. Mary's has tackled the challenge of easing hunger in Arizona through the vision of founder John van Hengel.

Keeping pace with the incredible upturn in need that has followed the poor economic climate and the huge rise in unemployment and underemployment, the Food Bank will distribute more than 65 million pounds of food in 2008-09 to meets the needs of the ever-rising number of Arizona's hungry - providing enough food into the community to provide nearly 300,000 meals per day.

Those who have examined our fiscal practices and businesses have found St. Mary's to be above reproach. Charity Navigator, the nation's top charity evaluator, has awarded the Food Bank its 4-star rating for seven consecutive years - something only two percent of the charities it assesses can say Click here to visit our information on Charity Navigator.

Along with its award, Charity Navigator praises St. Mary's, saying the Food Bank "consistently executes its mission in a financially responsible way, and outperforms most other charities in America ...and demonstrates to the public it is worthy of their trust.". Click here to view a PDF of the letter.

We invite you to personally review our annual report and our Internal Revenue Service form 990 tax return. Further information can be obtained through GuideStar, an independent website devoted to detailing the workings of non-profit organizations. Click here to visit our information on Guidestar. For a copy of our audited financials for fiscal year 2008-2009, please click here.

We continue to thank our donors both corporate and private who allow St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance - the world's first food bank - to tackle the hunger issue on a daily basis.

St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance is governed by a diverse Board of Directors (click here for a full listing of members) with a broad range of experience in our community and is a values-based organization that adheres to the Donor Bill of Rights as established by the Association of Fundraising Professionals:

The Donor Bill of Rights
Philanthropy is based on voluntary action for the common good. It is a tradition of giving and sharing that is primary to the quality of life. To ensure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the nonprofit organizations and causes they are asked to support, we declare that all donors have these rights:

I. To be informed of the organization's mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.

II. To be informed of the identity of those serving on the organization's governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities.

III. To have access to the organization's most recent financial statements.

IV. To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.

V. To receive appropriate acknowledgement and recognition.

VI. To be assured that information about their donation is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.

VII. To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.

VIII. To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors.

IX. To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.

X. To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.

For more information please feel free to contact the Community Relations Department at (602) 242-FOOD (3663). If you prefer to receive the documents listed above by mail please email a request to communityrelations@firstfoodbank.org

Senior citizens and families with children comprise the majority of the clients served by the Food Bank. By partnering with 534 Arizona agencies, the Food Bank is able to distribute food to 700 sites. The community can support the Food Bank through donations of time, money or food. Contributions are used efficiently and wisely: every dollar donated provides enough for seven meals. Combining donated financial support and the value of donated food, 96 cents of every dollar goes directly to program support.

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St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance is a member of Feeding America. Formerly America's Second Harvest, Feeding America is the nation's largest charitable hunger-relief organization. A network of more than 200 member food banks, Feeding America serves all 50 states. Every year Feeding America provides food assistance to those who need it most: more than 25 million low-income Americans. This number includes more than 9 million children and 3 million senior citizens. As Feeding America, the organization aims to communicate the double meaning of "feeding": providing food and enriching lives. Learn more at www.feedingamerica.org.