St. Mary's began operating by developing partnerships with grocery stores, food producers, and social welfare organizations throughout Phoenix. By acting as a clearinghouse for these partner organizations, St. Mary's distributed over 250,000 pounds of food in its first year. That number increased to "about a million pounds of food" by the end of 1968, according to van Hengel. With limited financial resources, St. Mary's relied heavily on volunteers to operate, and focused on obtaining food rather than monetary donations. Guided by the motto "the poor we shall always have with us, but why the hungry?," St. Mary's continued to attract more volunteers and partner agencies to its mission, allowing the food bank to expand its reach through Phoenix and other parts of Arizona.