I always say that If hunger could happen to John van Hengel, it could happen to any of us.

John van Hengel was the last person in the world one would imagine on a soup line. He had been the golden boy of his small Wisconsin town, from a secure family where he never missed a meal, not even in the depths of the Great Depression. He was president of his high school class, graduated from college, and moved to California to surf and play tennis with movie stars. His people skills led to a high-powered sales position at a big company. Money rolled in. He married a model and had two sons.

Then, his life fell apart. A few years later, he found himself disabled and homeless in Phoenix, Arizona, dependent on a Roman Catholic Church soup kitchen for food.

On that soup line, John changed his life. He refocused his Catholic faith, took a vow of poverty, and resolved to feed as many people as he could. Through an unlikely convergence of circumstances, John learned how much food was thrown away by supermarkets and big companies, and asked his church to help him start a food bank. His priest said, “John, you heard the call. Decide if you want to answer.”

Less than a year later, John opened the St. Mary’s Food Bank, with only volunteer labor. Soon after that, he started Second Harvest, which ultimately became Feeding America, one of the world’s largest charities.

He never took a dime of payment and maintained his vow of poverty until his death.

We all know Charli D’Amelio. Kim Kardashian, and MrBeast. But John van Hengel? Not so much. FOOD FOR HOPE(Creston, May 2, 2023, with illustrations by Michelle Agatha of THE CHRISTMAS MITZVAH fame) brings this most unsung hero to life, in an America where 1 in 8 people face food insecurity, including so many kids, and a world with too much hunger.

If John could do this, what can we do? This book, for people ages 7 and up, can help us, no matter what it is.