Once, while volunteering at the local winter homeless shelter, Aranosian saw a mother drop off her 18-year-old daughter on a cold night, later discovering that the young woman hadn’t eaten in three days.

“I was taken aback by that,” Aranosian said. “I gathered some food and that was not my proudest moment. I lost my self-control and asked for her mom’s phone number. I had some things to say to her.”

Aranosian works in her family business, but her concern with homeless people is what she’s known for as well. She wears her compassion and empathy for others on her sleeve, and her dedication to caring for homeless people who could use a hand is why her friend, Cathy Cushing, nominated her to be a Monitor Hometown Hero.

“To her, helping the homeless is a heartfelt passion,” Cushing wrote to the Monitor. “She clothes them, feeds them, validates them and prays for them. She certainly is a hero to me.”

Aranosian isn’t quite sure when the plight of the homeless turned into a life’s mission for her. She says it might have been during her time volunteering at the soup kitchen with Cushing years ago.

Whenever it started, she’s hooked now. Members of the homeless community call her the Snack Lady because of the Doritos and other goodies she brings to the Friendly Kitchen during her daily volunteer work on her lunch hour.

They see her at the Kitchen, at the winter shelter, at the resources center, anywhere homeless people might gather and who might need a ride, a piece of warm clothing, or just a shoulder to lean on.

“Mary often has varied supplies in her car and has been known to just pull over if she sees someone in want and offer them clothing or food,” Cushing wrote. “Many of the local agencies in the Concord area turn to Mary for information on donations or other ways to help the homeless.”

Her passion for this subculture – whose members blend in to the city’s woods and abandoned buildings while maintaining a small street presence in and around downtown – has opened Aranosian’s eyes to the harsh realities that accompany this lifestyle.

Once, she met a homeless man, about 20 years old and unfamiliar with the area, in a laundromat and told him he could get a free meal at the Friendly Kitchen. The man, fresh out of prison, slept at the laundromat that night and got a ride from Aranosio to the Kitchen the next morning.

“He was having trouble getting on his feet, so I wanted to help him,” Aranosian said. “He was so afraid, like maybe there were warrants out for his arrest, so he spent the night sleeping in one of those jumbo driers. You see a lot of sadness.”
Another time, a homeless woman was evicted from the Kitchen for unruly behavior, spoiling Plan A.

“Plan B for her eating was dumpster diving at Domino’s,” Aranosian said.

Elsewhere, she’s seen homeless people given another shot at a new life, with a subsidized place to live and job opportunities. It doesn’t always work, though.
“A couple had an apartment and and they had their druggy friends over,” Aranosian said. “They were burning holes in the furniture and they were evicted.”

A new tenant has moved in. He once lived under the Route 393 bridge. He was an alcoholic and a drug addict. He did time in jail.

Recently, he performed maintenance work at the Homeless Shelter. He’s clean, trying to show Aranosian that he was worth her kindness.

“One of the nicest guys I’ve ever met,” Aranosian said. “He has that apartment now and what a difference. He remains the same nice guy and he held his head up and he has a place to hang his hat. He is a success story.”