SOUTH HADLEY — Since Neighbors Helping Neighbors opened on Jan. 22, 2011, Mary Lou Guarnera has been the catalyst of local food pantry.
Even before the South Hadley and Granby food pantry opened at 30 Carew St., Guarnera stocked a couple extra shelves at the Big Y on Willimansett Street for residents in need. Under her leadership, Neighbors Helping Neighbors adopted a menu system, launched delivery options for seniors and veterans and merged with Granby To Go.
“Mary Lou has been a driving force from day one,” said Karen Ron Motyka, a NHN board member. “That steady leadership has made it as a success.”
After five years with the official title of executive director and many years at the helm without a title, Guarnera is moving into a new role as community relations coordinator and executive director emeritus. The dual role will allow her to continue forming the strong partnerships that helped the pantry grow and advise the leadership team.
“I’ll still be coming to the pantry,” Guarnera said. “Part of what I’ll be doing is continuing my relationships with the customers who come here, and doing what I can to spread the word because so many people hear about us from a neighbor or friend.”
In conjunction with this new role, the NHN board has strengthened the pantry manager role held by Julie Gentile, said Ira Brezinsky, the board’s vice president. While Guarnera is out in the community, Gentile will oversee the pantry’s day-to-day operations. This streamlines the organization and eliminates some overlapping roles between the small nonprofit’s two paid positions, Brezinsky said.
A new executive director has not been announced, and Brezinsky said the nonprofit will continue with these two new leadership roles for the foreseeable future.
“With these new defined roles, it will give everyone the opportunity to focus and grow the various aspects of the organization,” he said.
Building a safety net
In 2024 alone, the pantry distributed 274,000 pounds of food to South Hadley and Granby residents. Guarnera said she did not have the 2025 numbers yet, but knows pantry supply and visitors increased.
“The numbers definitely went up, because the SNAP suspension coincided with the price of food increasing,” she said.
With demand for food continuing to rise each year, NHN is finding new ways to connect individuals to the food pantry. Most recently, Guarnera added hospice families to the delivery routes, which already includes veterans and seniors who have difficulty leaving their homes.
“I have been so devoted to the people we serve that I just don’t feel that we can even do enough,” Guarnera said. “I would just feel terrible if something happened and we weren’t here. It’s why I get up in the morning.”
Accepting help from a food pantry is a “humbling thing,” Motyka said, but Guarnera makes sure ever visitor feels comfortable. She knows many of the regular visitors by name and encourages patrons to accept groceries for a week, rather than just food for the day.
“Mary Lou makes everyone feel like part of a family,” Motyka continued. “Not only with the clients, but with the community. She kind of pulls it all together. She makes everyone feel very welcome and also conveys the message of the need.”
There have been times during Guarnera’s tenure where the pantry finds itself in a pinch. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the volunteer-run organization lost much of its manpower when older volunteers stayed home. But like in other times of need, Guarnera said the community stepped up. Younger volunteers began signing up for slots, and soon the pantry had a steady supply of 50 volunteers.
“The community’s heart, like the Grinch, gets bigger and bigger,” Guarnera said. “They step up, see something going on and bring extra food and give extra money.”
In the near future
NHN has established relationships with Granby and South Hadley schools, municipal governments, Councils on Aging and local businesses due to Guarnera’s hard work, Brezinsky said. These partnerships are key to spreading the nonprofit’s mission and identifying need within the community.
“In this new role for her, our hope is to really continue to grow throughout the South Hadley community and now the Granby community,” he said.
Guarnera wants to hone in on two particularly vulnerable demographics: children and seniors. She has always held the belief that “a body without food cannot work, learn or play,” so she plans to really “burrow” herself within the schools and let families know help is available.
Seniors, Guarnera finds, often become isolated in old age, and the ensuing depression decreases their hunger.
“So many of them [seniors] hunkered down when COVID came to town and they have just become stuck where they are,” Guarnera said. “Sailing on the ship of food, we should be able to at least get them up and running again and enjoy life instead of sitting in their apartment.”
While Guarnera is out in the community, Gentile will hold down the pantry. She will oversee the volunteers, purchase any food, procure donations from the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and ensure all the goods are delivered to residents through twice a week pickups and delivery routes.
“Everybody needs to eat. I don’t care who you are, you’re a human being, and you need to eat, so we feed you,” Guarnera said.
Neighbors Helping Neighbors is open from 12:30 to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays and 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.
