Our Team

President

Liz Bianco, Board President, lives in Melrose with husband Dave and children Nicholas (15), Isabella (14), and dog Junia. Liz owns and operates shredding company A1 Datashred with Dave, and her favorite place on earth is a live concert. A native of Long Island, she brings to the Food Drive experience and expertise from overseeing SAFE/Saving Antiquities for Everyone, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving cultural heritage worldwide. In addition to hosting shred events to raise money and awareness for The Food Drive, Liz rescues food with her family, and is an incredible advocate for our work!

Treasurer

Beth Blatchford, Board Treasurer, is a long-time Melrose resident with her husband Jim and daughters Emily, Elizabeth, and Lillian. A Talent Acquisition professional most recently at Santander Bank, Beth especially loves her outings with the Melrose Running Club and is looking forward to her first international race in Ireland in June. Community service comes naturally for Beth through her family background growing up in Malden; in fact, her father Richard (in his 80s!) still volunteers for Bread of Life. A lifelong advocate for food security, Beth has been a champion of The Food Drive’s work from the very beginning.

Secretary

Board Secretary Liane Cassavoy brings more than 20 years of experience as a communications professional to support the work of The Food Drive. Liane was most recently Senior Associate at Civitas Strategies, and the Outreach Coordinator for the Melrose Alliance Against Violence. A journalist and author of two business start-up guidebooks, Liane holds a master’s degree in journalism from Boston University and a bachelor’s degree in English from Boston College. She lives outside of Boston with her husband, three children, and two pets. In her spare time, Liane can be found biking, reading, or driving her children to and from their various sporting events.

Clerk

Jennifer Manning is proud to be a part of the Board of Directors for The Food Drive. Her entire family proudly volunteers for The Food Drive every Sunday morning to distribute meals for the Community Freezer Program. A graduate of Boston University, Jennifer is currently Executive Assistant to the CEO and Director of Events at Leading Edge Real Estate. Jennifer was born in Boston and grew up in Melrose, where she and her husband Brian are now raising their two children, Aidan (17) and Katelyn (12). In her spare time, Jennifer enjoys spending time with family and friends and planning her next epic family vacation

Board Member

Board Member Ed Butts is a Senior Account Executive on the Non-Commercial team at General Mills (fulfilling a lifelong dream to sell Cheerios!) with 39 years in the foodservice industry. Ed holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Finance from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. A resident of Melrose since 1988 with his wife Laurie and three daughters, Ed enjoys all Boston-area sports, live music, New England outdoor experiences and spending time with family. A dedicated advocate for food rescue and hunger relief, Ed can be found in his “magic expando-van” early on Saturday mornings rescuing and delivering boxes and boxes of food.

Board Member

Tracey Cruickshank has lived in Melrose with her wife, Sandy since 1999. Together with her 17-year-old son Gabe she has spent many weekend mornings delivering rescued food to local pantries or cooking meals for Sunday distribution. Tracey has been a middle school teacher for 32 years! She has been active in the Melrose community, founding and facilitating local organizations MORE (Melrose Organizes for Real Equality) as well as EPiC (Educators and Parents in Communication). For fun, Tracey enjoys being in the woods, pretending to have read the book at Book Club, or spending time with extended family on Mount Desert Island in Maine.

Co-Founder, Executive Director

Executive Director and Board Member Jana Gimenez oversees the daily operations of The Food Drive, in collaboration with her husband and co-founder Tony Gimenez. The cause of food security has been a lifelong commitment -- from serving meals at Birmingham shelter with her parents, to a long-standing professional partnership with Rosie’s Place, to joining the Board of Directors of Bread of Life in 2020. An Alabama native from a minister’s family, she was taught to use resources wisely from a young age, as her mother was well known for promoting the use of a half-napkin and recycling meals into new experiences. Jana enjoys reading, walking in beautiful places, cooking, game night, music, and going to museums and watching movies with her husband and daughter.

Co-Founder, Program Director

Program Director and Co-Founder Tony Gimenez ensures hyperlocal impact for The Food Drive by overseeing our systems, and brings with him the work ethic of a classical musician for 30 years and the depth of experience from process, systems, and technology management positions at Berklee and MIT. Tony grew up in Southern California and Idaho and moved to Boston to attend the New England Conservatory of Music in trumpet performance. A committed activist for social justice, Tony created The Food Drive’s Community Freezer program, which provided 2500 meals in 2023. Tony enjoys gardening, bonsai, music, cooking, movies, his aquariums and spending time with his family.

Designer and Photographer

Ell Gimenez drew The Food Drive’s logo at the age of 13 and has helped us with design and photography ever since. Now 16, Ell consistently volunteers with The Food Drive and supports her parents in their work. A creative spirit, Ell enjoys art, singing, playing the guitar and piano, reading, writing, thrifting, academics, and building her strength at Alta Performance. A sophomore at Melrose High School, Ell is a member of the Student Action Board for Melrose Alliance Against Violence (MAAV), the Honors Chorus, the “Imprint” MHS newspaper staff, the Environmental Club, the Compost Initiative, and is Assistant Coach of the Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School volleyball team. Her favorite place to be is with the family dog Rocky.