Feeding America is the largest domestic relief organization in the United States. It is organized as a national network of food banks. In 2013, 49 million Americans lived in food-insecure households. Most of these people received food from Feeding America. The organization distributes consumable food that cannot be sold in supermarkets. Regional food banks sort and store the food, and it is then distributed to local organizations that directly provide it to needy people. In 2010, one in eight Americans was relying on Feeding America to obtain basic food needs. For this reason, Feeding America plays an important role in the fight against food insecurity and chronic hunger.

Feeding America originated in the late 1960s in Phoenix, Arizona. A retired businessman, John van Hengel, began volunteering ...