St. Mary's Food Bank

What St. Mary's Food Bank does

St. Mary's Food Bank is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit hunger relief organization founded in 1967 as one of the first food banks in the United States and the first in Arizona. It distributes approximately 300,000 meals daily, six days a week, across most of Arizona through a network of more than 600 nonprofit partner agencies, supplemented by direct distribution at its Phoenix headquarters and a second Surprise location, plus home delivery for homebound residents in Maricopa, Yavapai, and Pinal Counties. The organization's core programs include Food Distribution, Children's Feeding Programs (school-year lunch and summer feeding), a Skills Center offering warehouse logistics and food service job training, the AzFoodHelp.org locator, and seasonal initiatives such as the Turkey Countdown and summer Water Distribution.

The technology foundation consists of conventional, off-the-shelf platforms rather than proprietary systems: VolunteerHub for volunteer scheduling, the SimplyCast platform powering the Home Delivery intake and routing workflow, Convio-based online donation forms for individual and monthly giving, and the AzFoodHelp.org directory connecting recipients to partner agencies. The business model is donation-based with no fees charged to recipients. Revenue (or, in nonprofit terms, total support) is sourced from individual giving (one-time, monthly, tribute, legacy/planned, stock, IRA QCD-RMD), corporate partnerships (Fry's/Kroger Community Rewards, Pampered Chef, sweetgreen, Sprouts, PETSMART Charities, Shake Shack, The Cheesecake Factory), the Arizona Charitable Tax Credit, food and fund drives, donor-advised funds, in-kind food donations, and grants. The stated meal economics are $1 = 5 meals and $20 = 1 Thanksgiving turkey. The organization is a member of the Feeding America national network and operates with Charity Navigator-rated transparency.

Name

St. Mary's Food Bank

Legal name

St. Mary's Food Bank

Website

https://stmarysfoodbank.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Short description

St. Mary's Food Bank is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1967 that distributes approximately 300,000 meals daily across Arizona through 600+ nonprofit partner agencies, funded entirely by individual, corporate, and in-kind donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hunger Relief Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Food Services (624210), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Food Service Contractors (72231)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

Keywords

• Food bank services
• Hunger relief programs
• Food distribution network
• Nonprofit charity services
• Meal assistance programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Monetary Donations: Individual donations through website, one-time and monthly giving programs. Donors can give online, set up recurring monthly donations, or make tribute donations in honor of someone.
2. Corporate Giving Programs: Partnerships with corporations for donations, cause marketing campaigns, employee giving programs, and Fry's Community Rewards
3. Planned Giving and Legacy Gifts: Bequests, legacy donations, and planned giving arrangements for long-term donor support
4. Stock and IRA Donations: Donors can give stock or make Qualified Charitable Distributions from IRAs through QCD-RMD
5. Arizona Charitable Tax Credit: State tax credit program allowing donors to direct a portion of state taxes to the food bank
6. Food Donations: Physical food donations collected through food drives, gleaning programs, and direct food contributions
7. Food and Fund Drives: Community-organized food and fundraising events generating both food inventory and monetary donations
8. Donor Advised Funds: Donors can contribute to a fund and recommend grants over time

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

St. Mary's Food Bank collects, warehouses, and distributes food to food-insecure individuals and families across Arizona through a network of more than 600 nonprofit partner agencies. It distributes approximately 300,000 meals daily, six days a week, and operates supplementary programs including children's feeding, job training (Skills Center), home delivery for homebound seniors, and seasonal holiday/water distribution programs. All services are provided free of charge and funded entirely through donations, grants, and corporate partnerships.

Product overview

St. Mary's Food Bank of Arizona operates as a nonprofit food assistance organization with multiple interconnected programs. The core offerings include Food Distribution (partnering with 600+ nonprofits to distribute 300,000 meals daily), Children's Feeding Programs, and Skills Center job training. Supporting services include Find Food Near Me (searchable resource locator), Home Delivery (emergency food boxes in Maricopa, Yavapai, and Pinal Counties), seasonal Turkey Countdown and Water Distribution programs, Junior Hunger Heroes youth engagement, and Food and Fund Drives community initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Distribution Program Partners with more than 600 nonprofit organizations to ensure Arizonans in need have access to food. Distributes approximately 300,000 meals daily, six days a week.
• Children's Feeding Programs Provides lunch programs during the school year for children who may only have one meal per day, plus summer feeding sites and child nutrition programs addressing childhood hunger during school breaks.
• Skills Center Job Training Hands-on training program that equips adults in need with skills in warehouse logistics and food service to remove barriers to employment.
• Home Delivery Program Emergency food boxes delivered to doors of residents in Maricopa, Yavapai, and Pinal Counties, using the SimplyCast scheduling platform for homebound neighbors.
• Turkey Countdown Holiday food distribution program that distributes more than 20,000 turkeys and holiday food items to families in need during Thanksgiving.
• Water Distribution Program Distributes bottled water during summer months to vulnerable neighbors; distributed more than one million bottles last summer.
• Junior Hunger Heroes Program engaging children and youth in fighting hunger in their communities through education and volunteer activities.
• Food and Fund Drives Community-driven initiatives allowing groups to collect food or funds, where every dollar donated equals 5 meals.
• Super Saturday Large-scale food collection events held at 21 locations around the Phoenix Valley for Thanksgiving turkey and food distribution.

Quantifiable outcome

• Distributes 300,000 meals daily, six days a week
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• sweetgreenminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 May 2026Salad restaurant chain donating one meal for every meal sold during Paradise Valley grand opening to help nourish food-insecure neighbors in Arizona.
• Danny Zelisko PresentsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 13 September 2025Concert promoter who has raised more than 2 million meals over seven years through celebrity guitar auctions at Celebrity Theatre benefitting St. Mary's Food Bank.
• Sprouts Healthy Communities FoundationminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 7 September 2025Donation from Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation celebrating St. Mary's community service work, part of Sprouts Foundation's mission to advance children's nutrition education and access.
• Shamrock (Sham Farms)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 September 2025Agricultural partner volunteering at Phoenix Neighborhood Food Center, handing out milk and egg nog to neighbors in need during Hunger Action Month.
• Feeding AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational affiliation with Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger-relief organization. This partnership provides access to national resources, best practices, and the broader food bank network while St. Mary's serves as the local member covering Arizona.
• Phoenix CollegeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgency partner distributing food to food-insecure college students through the school's student life program. Helps address hunger among college students who may not have consistent access to meals.
• Fry's/KrogercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner through Fry's Community Rewards program and Fry's/Kroger Zero Hunger/Zero Waste Foundation. Donations and cause marketing campaigns supported through store operations.
• Pampered ChefminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPampered Chef's Round-Up from the Heart Program donates proceeds to Feeding America food banks, including St. Mary's, in the communities where purchases were made.
• PETSMART CharitiesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPet food donations for struggling families with pets, distributed through Phoenix Neighborhood Food Center. Addresses the challenge of food-insecure families who also have pets to feed.
• National Association of Letter CarriersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOrganizers of the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, the nation's largest one-day food drive since 1993. Letter carriers collect non-perishable donations along their routes to benefit local food banks.
• OSR Physical TherapyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual water drive partnership to help keep the community hydrated through hot Arizona summers. Multiple Valley locations serve as water donation drop-off sites.
• Phoenix Rescue MissionminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgency partner working with St. Mary's to transform lives through their programs, distributing food to those in need in the Phoenix area.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Capital Area Food Bank: Regional Feeding America member food bank serving the Washington DC metro area with distribution through partner agencies and direct programs. Comparable in operating model and program mix.
• Gleaners Community Food Bank: Regional Feeding America member food bank serving Southeast Michigan with partner-agency distribution. Comparable operating model and donor-base composition.
• North Texas Food Bank: Feeding America member food bank serving a large Texas metro region with a multi-county distribution footprint. Directly comparable in operating scale, model, and Feeding America affiliation.
• Food Bank for New York City: Large Feeding America member food bank serving a major metro region with a comparable mix of partner agency distribution, direct distribution, and nutrition programs. Similar nonprofit structure and revenue model.
• Houston Food Bank: One of the largest food banks in the Feeding America network, distributing millions of meals annually across a single metro region. Closely comparable in mission, distribution model, and scale to St. Mary's Food Bank.
• Second Harvest Heartland: Major regional food bank in the Feeding America network serving Minnesota. Operates a partner-agency model with similar donation-funded revenue structure to St. Mary's.
• Midwest Food Bank: Multi-state food bank distributing meals through partner agencies with a similar donation-based funding model. Comparable in scale and program structure.
• Los Angeles Regional Food Bank: Major regional food bank distributing meals through a large partner agency network across Southern California. Directly comparable operating model, partner-agency structure, and donation-based revenue mix.

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: National umbrella organization of which St. Mary's is a member food bank. Not a direct operational peer but provides the network, brand, and supply-chain infrastructure that shapes St. Mary's operating model.

Regional players

• Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona: Tucson-based Feeding America member food bank that overlaps St. Mary's service area in Southern Arizona. Direct overlap in mission and program mix but serves a different sub-region of the state.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/StMarysFoodBank
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/smfba
• Facebookfacebook.com/stmarysfoodbank
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stmarys-foodbank
• Instagraminstagram.com/stmarysfoodbank

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about St. Mary's Food Bank