Our Daily Bread Food Pantry exists to share the love of God by reducing hunger and building relationships in our community. Our goal is to offer nourishing food choices, encouragement, and hope.

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.

WORKING TO WIPE OUT HUNGER

Mission & Vision

History

THE NEED IS GREAT AND THE MISSION IS GREATER
2016 | Our Daily Bread Food Pantry, Marco Island
Food Pantry Registration | Our Daily Bread Food Pantry Marco Island
The Story Begins
A Marco Island teacher told a group of women that her students came to school hungry on Monday morning after not having food over the weekend. Our five women founders came together and decided to help by providing food stuffed bags on Fridays to send home with students in need. Shortly after, a closet in a local church began being used as an emergency food resource.

Between the school and closet, what became known as Our Daily Bread Food Pantry assisted 3600 children and individuals with food.

While we still operate the Backpack Program, we have expanded exponentially. 

Growth
The Pantry had outgrown the closet and occupied part of the Annex building on Winterberry Drive. Additionally, two key events occurred propelling Pantry services further into the community. First, Hurricane Irma made a direct hit on Marco Island, causing widespread damage. As one of the only local organizations equipped with resources immediately after the storm, the Pantry provided food, ice and water when it was hard to find anywhere else.  Salvation Army called upon us for advice as to where to position their canteens. Meanwhile, The Harry Chapin Food Bank made a 10,000 lb. delivery to the Pantry a couple of days after the hurricane. This critical delivery allowed us to feed and help thousands of first responders, police, fire and other disaster relief workers during the recovery. The same year, we launched “Lunch with Friends” to engage and serve the over 60 years old population in the area who have need for food, provision, socializing and more. 
2017 | Our Daily Bread Food Pantry, Marco Island
(2017) Food Pantry Growth | Our Daily Bread Food Pantry Marco Island
2018 | Our Daily Bread Food Pantry, Marco Island
Preparing New Volunteer | Our Daily Bread Food Pantry Marco Island
Continuing to Help
The Pantry again needed more space and overtook the entire Annex building. Simultaneously, the Mobile Pantries were launched thanks to a growing network of Partners committed to working to wipe out hunger in the community. The number of guests grew to 26,600 through both the brick and mortar Pantry and Mobile Pantries.
Mobile Food Pantry East Naples Quest With Food Bag | Our Daily Bread Food Pantry Marco Island
2019 | Our Daily Bread Food Pantry, Marco Island
2019 was focused on developing our strategic plans and vision of “Working to Wipe Out Hunger” while serving 27,565 people. We bought our first box truck for food pickup and delivery.
2020 was significant in many ways – we established our first website, set up our first Donor Management system, and implemented all the new processes called for by the pandemic. Our numbers served ballooned to 115,606 in 2020! Additionally, we installed our walk-in freezer and refrigerator. In June 2020 ODBFP received the Unsung Heroes Award from Sunrise Rotary Club of Marco Island. We began our School Backpack outreaches for students at three schools.
2020
Our Daily Bread Food Pantry - 2020 Timeline Photo - Man Loading Trunk
Our Daily Bread Food Pantry - 2021 Timeline Photo - New Refrigerated Truck
our-daily-bread-timeline-2021
2021 brought about our continued growth and we served over 152,000 pantry Guests. It was also our first year to have a corporate audit, we purchased our first refrigerated truck, and installed a generator for our Marco location to ensure we do not lose food in the event of power outages due to hurricanes, etc. We added another mobile outreach at Naples Botanical Gardens in the Bayshore area.
2022 continues in the growth of our numbers served and we project 190,000 to be served this year. We added another mobile outreach at Lely High School, close to the Naples Manor area. We began our School Breakfast outreach for students at one school. We were again recognized in March 2022 with the Celebration of Philanthropy Harvey Kapnick Award from Collier Community Foundation. In April the pantry received the Spirit of Marco Award from the Noontime Rotary organization and Most Dedicated Food Poverty Alleviation Organization – Southwest Florida from Acquisition International.
2022
Our Daily Bread Food Pantry - 2022 Timeline Photo - Groceries in Cart

Board & Staff

Amanda Nelson
Executive Director

Amanda has over 30 years of Non-Profit leadership experience, most recently serving as the Executive Director of a Breast Cancer organization in Sacramento, CA.  From AIDS to the arts to the environment, the Episcopal Church and literacy, Amanda has made a career out of taking organizations to the next level, improving programs, mentoring staff, strengthening boards and growing donations and fundraising efforts.

Amanda Nelson grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and got her B.A. from U.C. Berkeley. Amanda has worked and lived on both coasts, a bit in the South, as well as Puerto Rico, London, and Luxembourg.

Having held various roles from a volunteer to a staff member, a board member, and consultant in many groups. It is through these eyes, that Amanada can see what a great organization ODBFP is, not only in its efficiency but also in its effectiveness throughout the community. It is for this reason, she wanted to be a part of ODBFP.

Our Daily Bread Board of Directors Chair Allyson Richards | About Us
Allyson Richards
Board of Directors Chair

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.

Our Daily Bread President Nancy Kot | About Us
Nancy Kot
President, Director of Volunteers, Strategy & Senior Initiatives
Hailing originally from Massena, NY, Nancy held a variety of Engineering and Executive Management positions with Alcoa, Inc. and Kodak in New York, Indiana, Tennessee and Georgia.  Her education includes a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Clarkson University and a Master of Arts degree in Applied Behavioral Science from Bastyr University.

Joining Our Daily Bread Food Pantry, Inc. in June, 2016 after retiring, Nancy currently serves as President of this volunteer organization that has seen a growth of over 400% in the last 2 years.  Nancy is a member of San Marco Catholic Church and Catholic Coalition of Women (CCW) and is co-founder of “Lunch with Friends”, a monthly luncheon bringing together restaurants, civic organizations, churches, Seniors seeking socialization, and the food pantry.
Our Daily Bread Founder Liz Pecora | About Us
Liz Pecora
Founder, Vice President, Director of Grants and Marketing

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.

 

Our Daily Bread Treasurer Ron Saffin | About Us
Ron Saffin
Treasurer
Ron was born and raised in Upstate New York and attended the State University of NY at Albany earning Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in accounting, becoming a Certified Public Accountant in 1974.  He started his career with the accounting firm of KPMG and later continued his career with the State of New York managing and directing Accounting and Auditing Departments at various State agencies for the next thirty years.   He also served as an Adjunct Professor at Siena College in Loudonville, NY as an instructor of Intermediate Accounting.  Ron served as an officer in the New York Army National Guard, retiring in 1979.  Following retirement from NYS service in 2004, Ron and his wife Vicki moved to Marco Island where he started a CPA practice.

Along with his volunteer work with the Food Pantry, Ron is a Member of the San Marco Catholic Church and serves as a Eucharistic Minister.  He has been a member of the San Marco Knights of Columbus for the last 16 years, currently serving as Treasurer for the Council and Faithful Purser for the Assembly. Ron is also the Assistant Treasurer and a Board member for the Marco Island Historical Society.
Our Daily Bread Board Member Albert Benarroch | About Us
Albert Benarroch 
Board Member

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.

Our Daily Bread Board Member Sue Itayem | About Us
Sue Itayem
Board Member

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.

Who To Contact

If you are in immediate need of food assistance
Please call Our Daily Bread Food Pantry’s main telephone number.
An appointment is necessary to ensure a member of our team is available to assist you.
501 (C) (3) Information  |  Our Daily Bread Food Pantry is a Florida-registered 501 (C) (3) organization  |  All donations are tax-deductible.