Our Mission & History
The need is great and the mission is greater.
Mission
Vision
OUR DAILY BREAD FOOD PANTRY
Our History
2016
Our Daily Bread Food Pantry was founded by Elizabeth (Liz) Pecora, Jo Anne Lundquist, Vicki Johnson, Shawnee Huff, and Jennifer Ludwigsen as a mission of Family Baptist Church, Marco Island. It was created to address childhood food insecurity on Marco Island and provide nourishing food to children and their families.
2017
ODBFP received the Best New Partner Agency Award from Harry Chapin Food Bank, as a “Choice-Assist Pantry” was established in the annex building of the church.
2017
Hurricane Irma made a direct hit on Marco Island, causing widespread damage. As one of the few local organizations equipped with resources immediately after the storm, the Pantry provided food, ice, and water when they were hard to find elsewhere.
The Salvation Army called upon us for advice about canteen positions, and the Harry Chapin Food Bank made a 10,000-lb. delivery to the Pantry a couple of days after the hurricane, which allowed us to feed and support thousands of first responders, police, fire, and other disaster relief workers during the recovery.
2017
“Lunch with Friends” launched to engage and serve the over 60-year-old population in the area who have a need for food, provisions, socializing, and more.
2018
Our Mobile Pantries were launched in partnership with AL’s Pals and a growing network of community partners. The number of guests grew to 26,600 through both the brick-and-mortar Pantry and Mobile Pantries.
2019
ODBFP became its own 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization.
A strategic plan and vision were developed, and our first box truck for food pickup and delivery was purchased
2020
The pandemic called for the implementation of all new processes as we had to move from a choice pantry to a drive-thru pantry. ODBFP worked extensively with the Collier Community Foundation, which administered the CARES and ARPA grants and received $817,288 in grant funding over two years.
2020
In June 2020, ODBFP received the Unsung Heroes Award from Sunrise Rotary Club of Marco Island.
2021
Having begun our school Weekend/Backpack outreaches for students at three schools, we distributed 4,110 weekend meal bags to students and served 48,354 households through recurring visits and mobile pantries.
2022
Our School Breakfast outreach for area students began as we continued to add mobile outreaches.
Hurricane Ian: ODBFP was identified as a valuable community resource and strengthened its role as a partner in disaster relief efforts through pop-up mobile pantries and connecting people with needed resources
2022
We were again recognized in 2022 with the Celebration of Philanthropy Harvey Kapnick Award from Collier Community Foundation, the Spirit of Marco Award from the Noontime Rotary organization, and Most Dedicated Food Poverty Alleviation Organization – Southwest Florida from Acquisition International.
2023
With the continued need for space and the imminent end of our lease term, we launched a Capital Campaign to acquire and renovate our permanent home. 1818 San Marco Road was purchased in October 2023 thanks to a $3.1 M gift from Pat and Scot Kaufman.
2024
We acquired an adjacent lot, expanding the Pantry’s new footprint for better traffic flow, and began renovations on our new home at 1818 San Marco Road.
2024
Partnership development continued to grow during this period as we became part of the SWFL Health and Wellness Coalition, a designated member of Naples Children Foundation (formerly NCEF) Hunger Initiative Blueprint Partner, a founding member of Collier Community Foundation’s Food Partner and Funder work group, and expanded partnerships with NCH and the American Heart Association
2024
In 2024, we provided over 15,000 backpacks, 5,000 breakfasts, and 4,000 snacks to students and served 61,704 households (over 248,000 guests) through recurring visits and mobile pantries.
2025
We began operations at our permanent home, the Pat and Scot Kaufman Building at 1818 San Marco Road, Marco Island.
2025
We were recognized as a leader in Food is Medicine programming with the Nutrition Prescription initiative, a 3-year Food Security grant from the Florida Blue Foundation in a partnership with Healthcare Network, and a strengthened partnership with Lipman Family Farms.
2026
Celebrating our 10th Anniversary in 2026, we reflect with grateful hearts on what is possible when committed people join together in service.
