Committed To The Cause
Coming together from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences, our dedicated team of volunteers are the backbone of A Need We Feed. Their ideas help shape the direction and mission of the organization as it continues to develop.
A Need We Feed Officers
Mark Blackwell
President
Mark Blackwell is a 30+ year veteran in the Supermarket Food Retailing Industry and is a District Sales Manager for Stop & Shop Supermarket Company. Mark is an Ocean County native and a graduate of Manchester Twp. High School. Mark and his wife Barbara live in Berkeley Twp., NJ, where he has resided for over 25 years.
Along with Stop & Shop, Mark has been instrumental in supporting A Need We Feed from its inception by securing food donations, not only from Stop & Shop, but also from several of the trade partners in which he does business with.
Mark has won numerous awards in sales, merchandising and most significantly in Community Partnership. He was most recently awarded the Corporate Neighbor Award with the Franklin Food Bank in Franklin Twp., NJ where he previously operated two Stop & Shop Supermarket stores. This award is in recognition of someone who is responsive to the needs of the community, active with the Franklin Food Bank and passionate about putting an end to hunger.
Mark is supportive of community efforts not only near his hometown, but also in the areas in which he works. Mark is a Board Member for A Need We Feed and also serves on the Advisory Board for the Franklin Food Bank, Somerset, NJ. Mark is the original founder of the Stop & Shop Team in the annual Making Stride’s Breast Cancer Walk in Point Pleasant, NJ where they have been a Flagship sponsor for over 15 years and raise over $1.5 Million annually.
Gabe Gillen
Vice President
Gabriel “Gabe” Gillen is a New Jersey native, father of 3 amazing children, Brandon, Hailey, and Madison, and husband to a patient and beautiful wife, Neusa. He returned to NJ from after graduating from George Washington University to put his Entrepreneurship and International Business degrees to work. Wanting to be in the “finance” world and having a desire to help others, Gabe worked at a few mortgage banks and brokerages prior to starting his own company, Family First Funding LLC, in 2011.
Along with his partners, their company has grown from a small office consisting of just three to their current staff of over 425 people, 25 different offices across 10 different states. As the President of the company Gabe is very involved in the success and growth of the company on a day to day basis, but also leads their initiatives to provide the company’s involvement in the success of the community. As a company their motto is “Treat everyone as Family”. This can be seen throughout the company’s culture as well as their participation within the community.
Over the few years Gabe has dedicated some of his spare time to get involved with the Northern Ocean Chapter of Habitat for Humanity. His connection with H4H comes from his maternal grandfather’s love and 20 years of dedication to the organization while living in Princeton, NJ and Winston Salem, NC.
This philanthropic gene is within him and has helped inspire others as his Family First Funding Staff helped raise over $80,000, build the walls, and had the pleasure of erecting the walls and support beams in September and October of 2018. He serves on the Housing Selection Committee, and personally reviews income/assets for applications for the H4H Northern Ocean Chapter to ensure they qualify for the income limits based on family size. He also serves on the Homeowner Services Committee for “A Brush With Kindness”, safety repairs for the H4H Ocean County Chapter as we have completed over a dozen this year.
Ed Schuler
Treasurer
Ed lives in Toms River, New Jersey, with his wife, Janet. They have three daughters who are all successful and independent.
Ed has been a financial advisor, Charter Financial Consultant (ChFC), and Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF) for the past 30 years. His practice is located in Brick, New Jersey.
Ed likes to be outdoors, where he surfs, snowboards and fishes. He also enjoys working in the garden and traveling. He is a member of the Toms River Fire Department and enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Christine Linton
Secretary
Christine has over 15 years of banking and financial services experience. She works for Wells Fargo Bank as a Business Execution Consultant for the Physical Distribution Strategies Team. She is the Vice President of the NJ Employee Impact Team for Wells Fargo which focuses on the organization being more active in the community with volunteering. She is also the Workforce Outcomes Co-Chair for the Women’s Employee Resource Network.
Christine graduated from Monmouth University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration- with a concentration in Finance & Marketing, with a minor in Information Technology. She graduated in the Top 10 of her class for that concentration.
Christine is a lifelong resident of Ocean County, born and raised in Brick, New Jersey. She has a six-year-old daughter, Sophia, and three-year-old son Dominic and an English Bulldog named Bailey.
Outside of work, she loves spending time with her family- day trips, boating, sports- all including the dogs of course! She loves planning events, shopping, traveling, crafting, baking and more. Her and her family are very active!
If you didn’t think all of those things keep her busy enough, Christine loves volunteering. Not only is she a Board Member for A Need We Feed, but she volunteers with a few different local charities throughout the year: Ocean of Love, Make-A-Wish NJ and the NJ Sharing Network, in memory of her late brother, Robert.
Board Members
Robert Avison
Robert was born and raised in NJ. He is husband to the wonderful Teresa Avison and an amazingly proud father of three children, Fable, Carlie, and Danny. Fable is a graduate of Smith College and New York Law. Carlie is a graduate of Rutgers University and currently works for MMIT. Danny is currently attending the University of Florida; he also spends the summers working for his father in the auto business.
Robert has been in the automotive retail industry for 30 years, and he proudly served the local Toms River Community as the Vice President and Managing Partner of Downs Ford. Robert also owns and operates an Automotive Management Company in Stuart, Florida, and a Reinsurance Provider that is domiciled in Turks and Caicos.
Robert proudly participates in the NADA National Auto Dealers Association 20 Group, supports NJ CAR, and the Toms River Chamber of Commerce. Robert proudly supports the Toms River Police (Toms River Vest a Cop) and Fire Departments, The Valerie Fund, The Ladacin Network, Toms River Rotary, Sailfest, Hope Sheds Light, Ocean County College Foundation and Downs Ford was the title sponsor for Downtown Toms River. The biggest joy for Robert in entrepreneurship is the connection with the community and the opportunities for both active and philanthropic support.
When Robert is not at the TWP Group (TWP Dealer Management, TWP Reinsurance Limited, and TWP Digital) or working in the community, he enjoys spending time with his family, being out on the water, or making time for a round of golf.
Frank J. Davis III
Frank is a lifelong resident of Ocean County, and has a commitedness to his community that is unsurpassed. Having serviced clients from all walks of life over his 20 year career in the Financial Services field, Frank’s passion is dedicated to helping everyone “plan and retire with dignity”.
Frank’s altruistic nature flows through every aspect of his life. He has proudly served our country as a Sergeant in the United States Army National Guard for over twelve years, has volunteered in the local community as a Youth Football Coach with over ten successful seasons under his belt, and most recently opening his home to the adoption of three at risk siblings who otherwise would have been separated by their circumstances. It is only fitting that Frank parlay this experience and sense of community into A Need We Feed.
Vincent Marzarella
Vincent currently lives in Toms River with his wife Barbara, where they raised their blended family. He was born and raised in Brick, NJ, and attended St. Dominic’s grade school and St. Joseph’s (Donovan Catholic) High School. After spending a few years at St Francis College in Loretto, PA, Vincent left early to help with the family business founded in 1982 by his father, Ray Sr., and brother, Ray Jr.
Vincent is part owner and Vice President of the Residential Division of the family businesses, All County Exteriors, and All-County Enterprises. Since his teens, he has been in the construction field and a part-owner of the companies since his 20s.
Vincent became active in A Need We Feed through his wife and has found it to be a very rewarding experience. Previously he was active in the family charity, The A.L.M Foundation, which benefited the American Cancer Society and Make-A-Wish. In his spare time, he enjoys boating, fishing, jet-skiing, eating his wife’s fantastic home-cooked meals, the occasional round of golf, and last but not least, spending time with his fur boys, George and Herman, who provide lots of laughter!
Vincent Pungello
Vincent is a licensed Certified Public Accountant with over 25 years of experience in tax preparation, accounting and auditing. He provides personalized business advisory, accounting and tax preparation services that assist entrepreneurs in growing their business and meeting their personal and business financial goals. Vincent’s clients cover a large number of industries and have ranged from sole proprietorships to medium sized businesses to larger national and international corporations.
Vincent is also proud to provide accounting, auditing and board level advisory service to the not for profit and charity world. He has successfully assisted in the growth and development of charities and not for profits in various segments including but not limited to education, public safety, fraternal organizations, veteran’s affairs & support and meal service programs.
In addition, to Vincent’s accounting and tax preparation experience, he has extensive experience as a senior executive and board reporting member in the Internal Audit profession. His career has focused on the global financial services industry, including investment banking, retail brokerage, inter-broker dealers, asset management, retail and international banking and real estate.
He served as the Global Head of Internal Audit at Cantor Fitzgerald where he established a Global Financial and IT audit team consisting of 31 professionals spanning the US, Europe, Asia and South America. Vincent also has extensive knowledge of Board of Directors Governance requirements, Sarbanes Oxley testing requirements as well as data analytics, forensic review and fraud examinations.
Vincent is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Information Systems Auditor and a Certified Financial Services Auditor. He is a graduate of Manhattan College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. Vincent is also an Advisory Board Member to Investors Bank and the State Theatre of New Jersey as well as a Board member of A Need We Feed, Inc.
Nora Shand
Nora has been working in banking and financial services industry since 2007 and currently a VP with TD bank in the Toms River Lakewood location. She was born and raised in Ocean County and lives in Bayville with her boyfriend Chris, her son Riley 23 & her God son Quincy who she is raising.
Nora has a passion for community and helping those in need, she has been serving the Ocean County community through many different organizations; Kiwanis, Big Brother’s Big Sister’s, United Way, to name a few.
For fun Nora likes to spend time with family & friends. She loves the beach & collecting sea glass for her DIY projects.
David Volk
David has been in the banking industry since 2009. David started as a part time teller and has had many roles within TD Bank up to his current role of Store Manager in the Lakewood location. David grew up in Ocean County and currently lives in Toms River with his wife and 2 daughters. In his free time he loves to spend with his family, travel, attend his daughters cheer competitions.
David has partnered with various organizations throughout Ocean County to support the community. He has focused on coat drives for children, clothes for men and women entering the work force, basic needs drives, and financial literacy education are some examples of ways he has made an impact! David has a passion for giving back and is always looking for ways to make a difference.
Lisa Mazzuca
Lisa Mazzuca is the owner of On Your Mark Designs providing website design and search engine optimization with a focus on content creation and lead generation for small businesses. Lisa has designed hundreds of small business websites since she started her business back in 2001. As an active member of the Greater Toms River Chamber of Commerce she loves meeting and networking with other local business owners.
Born and raised at the Jersey Shore, she lives with her husband, Jasper, two children, Giovanni and Abigail, and her mother, Patricia, in Bayville, NJ. Additionally, Lisa is an obsessive gardener and a fan of permaculture. She transformed her blank, new construction, suburban lot into a productive, perennial system by planting an abundant food forest filled with fruit trees, berry bushes and perennial herbs, vegetables and flowers.
In 2018 Lisa became an Ocean County Master Naturalist through the Barnegat Bay Partnership and the Ocean County Soil Conservation District and quickly discovered the importance of growing native plants to support our local ecology. She has done educational presentations for local groups and schools about native edible plants and how to use them in the landscape. Follow her YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/mynjgarden
Daniel Monzi
Daniel Monzi is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner based in Wall Township, New Jersey. His practice centers around providing guidance to families as they prepare for and ultimately look to maintain their lifestyle throughout their retirement. This results in a wide range of clientele from business owners to corporate employees, all of whom come with their own unique objectives and circumstances to engage with Daniel in the financial planning process.
In addition to preparing for retirement, Daniel engages clients in wealth preservation strategies, investment management, estate planning, cash flow management and intergenerational planning.
Daniel currently lives in Asbury Park, NJ with his wife Kim. You can typically find them walking their dog Charlie through town, supporting their community at local events or out to eat at one of the several fantastic restaurants Asbury has to offer. In his spare time, he also enjoys maintaining his fitness through exercise, listening to podcasts, reading or getting out for a round of a golf.
Daniel Monzi is a financial advisor with, and securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC, a registered investment advisor.
Series 63, Series 65, Series 7, Life & Health Certification held through LPL Financial, CFP® CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner, Accredited Investment Fiduciary®, CRPC® Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor℠.
Mark Rosen
Mark Rosen, a dedicated board member of A Need We Feed, hails from Brooklyn, NY, where he grew up before attending New York City Technical College. With a strong entrepreneurial spirit, Mark has been immersed in various business ventures throughout his life. From owning a Coca-Cola Distributorship to supervising operations for a family construction company, Mark’s career has been diverse and dynamic.
In 2010, Mark ventured into the food industry as the owner-operator of New York Bagel Café, followed by a stint as an independent insurance agent and realtor from 2014 to 2022. However, it was in 2022 that Mark embarked on a new chapter with the establishment of Royal Stitch and Print, a business venture born out of a casual dinner conversation with his sons.
Driven by his son Jordan’s idea, Mark, along with his family, ventured into the world of embroidery, screen printing, vinyl printing, and promotional items. Despite initial challenges, including the steep learning curve of operating an embroidery machine, Mark’s daughter-in-law Nichole’s dedication and determination propelled the business forward.
With a commitment to quality and exceptional customer service, Royal Stitch and Print quickly expanded its services, becoming a trusted name in the industry. Mark attributes the success of the business to the collective effort of his family and their unwavering dedication.
Despite his busy schedule, Mark believes in giving back to the community and supporting those in need. Joining A Need We Feed as a board member aligns with his values of compassion and community service. Mark is proud to be part of an organization that makes a tangible difference in the lives of families and communities. With his granddaughter by his side, Mark is committed to instilling the importance of helping others and leaving a positive impact on the world.