Mission & Vision
Working to wipe out hunger in Marco Island and Naples, we engage daily with families who are experiencing food insecurity. Our programs reach individuals where they are, physically and geographically. By offering healthy food choices and connecting with Partners to fulfill needs beyond food, we are fulfilling our vision to eliminate hunger in our community.
History
Board
Allyson Richards
Allyson grew up in Marlton, NJ attended Slippery Rock State College in PA where she majored in Psychology. Moved to Texas when she was 19 to finish college at Texas A & M Commerce with a degree in Human Resources and Operations Management. She later furthered her education through post-graduate work in HR at the University of Texas at Arlington and University of Phoenix.
Allyson’s career began in diverse business areas such as the oil fields of Oklahoma and West Texas as Safety and HR Director, the Homebuilding industry and finally, the last 20 years of her career were in the Healthcare Financial space where she was the senior executive of Human Resources for a large international corporation saying grace over approximately 8,000 people. Her specialty was domestic and international employment law and relations.
Allyson received her lifetime Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) designation in 1989. She also received her Managed Healthcare Professional (MHP) designation as well as a certified management instructor for numerous courses and Certified Payroll Professional designation.
Her first husband, Jerry, died of cancer and she was a single Mom of a 5 and 15-year-old for about 7 years before she met Marco Islander Jim Richards, who had lost his wife to the same disease. They have 6 children between them. Allyson is currently on the Board of the Marco Island Charter Middle School, a member of the Community Foundation of Collier County, the Women’s Foundation, the Finance Committee for San Marco Catholic Church, a member of CCW, a board member of the Marco Island Historical Society, Christmas Island Style, assists with the Our Daily Bread Food Pantry, is a co-leader of the monthly senior Luncheon entitled “Lunch with Our Friends Over 60”, and a member of the Marco Island Park and Recreation Board. Additionally, she coordinates a “bread run” through the YMCA and weekly mobile food pantries (in conjunction with the Our Daily Bread Food Pantry) both on and off the island.
Since moving to Marco Island, she has been honored with the Spirit of Marco award, the Volunteer of the Year award and the Women of Initiative Award for the Community Foundation of Collier County.
Nancy Kot
Liz Pecora
As a Founder and Vice President of the Pantry, Liz Pecora draws upon her corporate executive experience to communicate the mission of working to wipe out hunger in the greater community. Before moving to Florida, Liz held positions with Delta Airlines and the hotel and hospitality industry, working in national sales and marketing. Known for her caring demeanor and focus, Liz is recognized for her ability to engage the community to build a greater community both at the Pantry and in Collier County.
In 2016, Liz was one of the founding members of Our Daily Bread Food Pantry and had co-led the continual expansion of the pantry over the past several years. Together with the other founders, she was recognized as Marco Island Civic Association’s 2017 Humanitarian of the Year award.
Liz’s passion for providing food assistance to anyone in need began when she was widowed and in need. Receiving food from her church’s food pantry with love and dignity helped her get back into the employment market. It was such a blessing for Liz that she vowed if, given the opportunity, she would someday be a part of hunger relief activities. That opportunity came in late 2015 with the creation of Our Daily Bread Food Pantry.
In addition to her work with the Pantry in hunger relief, Liz currently serves as Treasurer of the Collier Disaster Alliance (CDA), formed after Hurricane Irma, to maximize the effectiveness of relief efforts in dealing with future natural disasters. In 2022 Liz was certified as a court-appointed Guardian ad Litem. She and her husband serve as volunteer advocates for children in the 20th Judicial Circuit- Collier County, FL.
Ron Saffin
Albert Benarroch
Albert Benarroch was raised in Chicago and feels blessed to call Marco Island his home. He lives here with his wife Yvette, and their 2 children Zachary (17) and Danny (15) and their two golden retrievers named Rocky and Lucky. Al and his wife Yvette are the proud owners of Affordable Landscaping Service & Design, LLC; a business that has been serving the Marco Island community since 1996 and specializes in landscape design, landscape maintenance, tree trimming, irrigation design & repairs, paver installation, fertilization and pest control services. Al has over 46 years of experience in the landscaping industry. His passion is helping his clients discover how they can beautify their landscape, creating that unique outdoor space and connecting with customers throughout the landscaping projects. Al also loves being able to provide customers true value through both the relationship and the level of service Affordable Landscaping Service & Design, LLC provides. Al and his wife Yvette believe that nothing is more rewarding than giving back to the community, so they always make time to get involved with groups and organizations that help the community and those in need. Al is Vice President of Manatee Rifle & Archery Club and Past 2nd Vice President of JCMI. Al enjoys helping others, fishing, hunting, traveling and spending time with his family.
Sue Itayem
Sue Itayem is a Vice President and Banker in the Naples office of J.P. Morgan Private Bank. Sue works closely with some of the most affluent business owners and retirees across Southwest Florida to address their wealth management goals for today,tomorrow and after they’re gone. She is known for providing financial peace of mind, and takes pride in being a trusted advisor and fierce client champion.
Sue welcomes each individual with a mindset of discovery, learning about their life, their goals and what matters to them. She takes a planning approach to anticipate not only life’s most meaningful milestones, but also its unforeseen events, building comprehensive and custom-tailored strategies that integrate trusts and estates, wealth transfer and risk management. Sue fosters relationships with the entire family—including the next generation—and prepares them for the responsibilities to come.
She strives always to do the right thing, and derives great satisfaction from knowing she made a difference in someone’s life. As a former entrepreneur, Sue fulfills her responsibilities as though she were managing her own business, a characteristic that differentiates her from other advisors. She is especially interested in helping women in transition, drawing on her own experience as a widow to empower them both personally and financially.
In the 25 years since she began her career in finance as a Bank of America teller, Sue has amassed a commanding knowledge of the sophisticated needs of high-net-worth clients. Most recently, she was a Vice President and Wealth Advisor at Truist Wealth. Previously, she held private banking and wealth management positions at SunTrust and Fifth Third Bank.
Sue earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Kaplan University.
Devoted to her community, she has served on the boards of the Greater Marco Family YMCA (now the YMCA of Collier County), the Marco Island Charter Middle School and the Rotary Club of Marco Island.
Sue has spent more than 25 years in the Marco Island-Naples area, where she raised five children, including one whose Down syndrome has inspired a life of advocacy. She loves to read, travel and play with her six grandchildren.
Tarik Ayasun
Born April 18, 1949, in Istanbul, Turkey
University of Maryland 1969-1973
Military Service 1975-1976
Became U.S. Citizen 1977
Married to Janice for 50 wonderful years.
Son Jerol, Daughter Suzi,
Grandchildren Colin, Olivia, David, Danika.
Started Taray International Corporation in 1979.
Celebrating 44 years in business this year.
Involved in International trade for 48 years.
Marco Island Resident since 1986
Served on various civic organizations on Marco Island.
President Marco Island Chamber of Commerce 1994
Leadership Collier Class of 1994.
Marco Island Rotary Club President 2018
Marco Island Charter Middle School Board member 1999-2018 and President 2018-2022.
Forum Club of Collier County Board of directors 1994 – 2007
Marco Island Police Foundation Board, Treasurer 2006-2023
Marco Island Code Enforcement Board Chairman 2007 – 2010
Physicians Regional Hospital Board of Trustees 2013 – Present
LCEC Board of Trustees, Member 2019 – Present
Collier County Code Enforcement Board 2021 – Present
“Lifetime Achievement award for Service to Community” by the Marco Island Chamber of Commerce 2012.
Rotary Club “Spirit of Marco Award” 2015
Mark Muedeking
Mark was born in Minnesota. He received a BA from St. John’s University, a law degree from the University of Notre Dame, and a Master of Laws from Georgetown University. He started his law career as a federal prosecutor in Washington, DC, before moving to private practice at the Washington office of a global law firm with offices in 40 countries on 6 continents. In private practice, he represented major US and International corporations in corporate, tax, and securities matters.
He took a leave of absence from his law firm to serve as the Managing Director and General Counsel of the United States Olympic Committee and has extensive experience in amateur and professional sports governance, including as an arbitrator for the AAA, the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, and professional sports leagues.
He has advised and served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations. For eight years, he served as board chair of the Standards for Excellence Institute, which develops and maintains national standards for the governance and operation of nonprofit organizations.
He retired from the active practice of law in 2021. Since retirement, he has been one of our “Heavy Lifters” and “Cart Runners” and feels blessed to work with our terrific team of dedicated and hard-working volunteers. He recently joined our Grant Team.
He also volunteers at Grace Place and currently serves as a high school student mentor and member of the Faith Counsel. He is a member of Marco Lutheran Church, where he serves as a Lay Minister, Usher, member of the Board of Lay Ministry, and sings in the choir.
