Polish Food Bank Federation LogoPolish branch of Adobe has launched an art competition: Adobe Creative Search 4 Ideas. The deadline for submissions has passed last Sunday, however the subject was very interesting: the problem of wasting food. The competition's partner was Polish Food Banks Federation. The participants were to create a poster, leaflet or an animated commercial promoting the idea of saving food.
The idea of Food Banks and saving food was created by John van Hengel in late 1960s in America. He was an American activist. He was very emotional and for many years couldn't find his place in life. At some point he realized that many shops, restaurants and factories throw away good food which can still be used or given to homeless and poor people. He decided to gather this food and take it to the town canteen. He founded first Food Bank in 1967 in Phoenix. During its first year of work it distributed thousands of tones of food to local charities. This was the first operation like this in the world. It grew into a nationwide network Second Harvest which feeds 22 million hungry and poor Americans every year.
The idea of Food Banks and saving food was created by John van Hengel in late 1960s in America. He was an American activist. He was very emotional and for many years couldn't find his place in life. At some point he realized that many shops, restaurants and factories throw away good food which can still be used or given to homeless and poor people. He decided to gather this food and take it to the town canteen. He founded first Food Bank in 1967 in Phoenix. During its first year of work it distributed thousands of tones of food to local charities. This was the first operation like this in the world. It grew into a nationwide network Second Harvest which feeds 22 million hungry and poor Americans every year.
John van Hengel - 2003, in a Food Bank in Phoenix
via The Washington Post
The problem was to convince local businessmen that their food would be given to those who really need it and wouldn't be resold. Hengel however had a personality and soon he got more food than he could distribute. In the last years of his life John van Hengel helped found Food Banks in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia. He passed away in 2005.
Now there are many Food Banks on our planet, however in Poland they are a new innitiative. They help hungry children at schools in poor areas of the country.
The idea of Food Banks is to connect people who have too much food and have to throw it away with those who have too little.
Kevin Bacon helping at Food Bank in NY, 2007 - via NY Times
Polish Food Bank Federation - LINK (in Polish)
Adobe Creative Search 4 Ideas - LINK (in Polish)
John van Hengel- The Washington Post - LINK
Article on Food Banks - New York Times - LINK