A food bank is a community based program that collects and stores food taken out of the commercial food chain and distributes it to those in need.

The first food bank was named „Alliance of St. Mary” and was founded by Jon van Hengel in Arizona – United States of America in 1967 and since then the phenomenon has grown all over the world.

In Europe, the first food bank was founded in 1984, in France.

Food banks have become more common in Europe only after the financial crisis that began in 2008, specially towards the end of 2010 when austerity began to produce dramatic effects on population.