Friday, September 18, 2026 By Carol Britton Meyer (photos provided)
Susan Kiernan, a beloved member of the Hingham community and longtime executive director of the Hingham Food Pantry, will be remembered by her family, friends, neighbors, and pantry clients following her recent passing for her compassionate, generous spirit, and the positive impact she had on everyone whose lives she touched.
She is perhaps best known in the community for her dedication to the food pantry — located at Second Parish Church, 685 Main St. Thirty-five years ago, after serving with St. Paul’s St. Vincent de Paul Society helping parish families in need, Susan joined a small group of volunteers from Hingham’s churches and synagogue to establish the Hingham Food Pantry.
She continued to serve as its volunteer executive director as a big part of her life’s work until her passing. The food pantry has compassionately provided assistance to thousands of families over the years during challenging times, and Susan was extremely grateful for the support of many members of the local and larger community – from food drives to support from the Hingham Farmers Market, local businesses, the Greater Boston Food Bank, and private donations. Volunteers Ellie Kilham and Liz Fitzsimons will work together to transition the pantry through this period.
‘Such a caring and compassionate person’
“Susan has done so much for so many families in Hingham,” Fitzsimons told the Hingham Anchor. “She was such a caring and compassionate person, with a perpetual smile, a kind word, and a can-do attitude. Susan was a friend, a diplomat, a wordsmith, and an inspiration to us all. We, the many volunteers at the Hingham Food Pantry, are horribly sad, but it will be our privilege to honor Susan’s mission by continuing to serve our families in need of food assistance.”
Kilham recalls back in 1991 when Susan and a small group of houses of worship in Hingham met to discuss and address the need for food assistance for their parishioners: “Susan was involved from those early days to the present, creating a warm and welcoming space to greet and serve members of our community. She did this with boundless energy, compassion, and dedication. She also saw the pantry through many iterations – originally housing both the pantry and greeting space in a cramped basement. Then, during the pandemic, creating a drive-through model and offering home delivery for those not able to come to the pantry due to age, infirmity, or lack of transportation. She also created a new, workable, food storage area in that same basement with a large, well-lit greeting space upstairs. She oversaw the participation of at least 100 volunteers who were inspired by her generous and warm spirit. She has left a profound hole in our lives and our community. As a number of those we serve at the pantry said, ‘She was an angel.’”
Kilham’s involvement with the pantry began in 1996. “I have devoted myself to meeting with and helping those individuals and families who come into the pantry for assistance. Together, we fill out menus and talk about their life situations and try to connect them with other resources. I truly enjoy meeting and getting to know them, working alongside other volunteers — Stacie Feely and Liz Oddleifson in particular.”
Committed and supportive volunteers will carry on Susan’s legacy
Liz Fitzsimons and Kilham will work together to oversee the food pantry operations in the meantime. We are so fortunate to have a committed and supportive group of volunteers to make this happen,” Kilham said.
There are more than 100 volunteers who work at the pantry in various capacities who come from the community at large. “They are remarkable,” Kiernan said earlier this year on the occasion of its 35th year. “Most of them never meet the families they serve, but their commitment to their specific roles is steadfast as they work together to serve our neighbors in need as their selfless goal. Their efforts are what make the food pantry work.”
Susan was always quick to turn the recognition away from herself and onto other volunteers – a humble woman who had a huge yet quiet impact on Hingham.
When asked at that time what inspired her to continue in her role for so many years, Kiernan explained, “It’s because of the gifts I have received over these 35 years from meeting fellow volunteers and the families [and individuals] we serve . . . . Although we live in the same town, our paths may never have crossed otherwise. I feel fortunate and blessed to have these people in my life and to be part of this [effort].”
The impact of Susan’s work “was felt in our community every single day. She provided much more than food to those in need; she was a source of kindness, and compassion for those who were experiencing difficult times,” Select Board member William Ramsey told the Hingham Anchor. “She treated everyone with dignity and respect and will be remembered for making the lives of others warmer and brighter. She will be deeply missed in our community, and her example that we should always assist others in need will remain.”
‘Selfless commitment to family and community’
Kristen Walker, who coordinates the food pantry “runners,” echoed many of the sentiments already shared within the Hingham community about Susan’s most admirable qualities – “her selfless commitment to family and community; her unflappable demeanor and ability to assemble a team to support a cause; and her dedication to constantly improving the level of service for the clients served by the food pantry.”
Beyond the “amazing logistical portion of identifying a need, locating a venue, securing goods to distribute, and operating this invaluable community resource for 35 years,” what impressed Walker the most about Susan were “her insistence on preserving the dignity of all receiving services from the pantry; the integration of so many local organizations to deliver the best possible product for the clients; leveraging relationships with local vendors to pick up unused but fresh food that would otherwise have been discarded to distribute to food pantry clients; collecting produce from Holly Hill Farm for distribution at the food pantry and passing any leftovers to Wellspring Multi-Service Center; and adding bouquets of flowers from the Hingham Garden Club to provide a little extra sunshine to clients on their visits to the food pantry.”
‘She inspired so many to join her cause’
Susan “built up a company that would be the envy of any CEO with dedicated ‘employees’ and grateful customers,” Walker said. “She did this day in and day out without seeking or expecting any recognition or gratitude. She inspired so many to join her cause and to be better people because she led the way. We will all miss her in so many ways.”
Food pantry volunteer Tom Hoffman was “amazed at how she went about handling all the demands of the operation on such an even keel basis. Every year the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter weeks were crazy busy, but I never saw her get flustered. She just had a way about her that made everyone, including me, want to go out of their way to help.
“I don’t know how many lives she impacted over the years, but I am sure it’s in the thousands. I will miss her and her great personality,” he said.
Fellow food pantry volunteer Ed Beighley also considered Susan a family friend.
“Her level of commitment was truly inspirational,” he said. “It was always great to get her call – like getting sent into the game by a coach – you didn’t want to let her down!”
‘Susan’s heart was legendary’
Christine Puzo shared the history of the close friendship with the Kiernans that she and her family have enjoyed over the years.
“Over 45 years ago, my husband, Michael, and I moved to Hingham with our two young daughters. Within weeks, we were invited by the friend of a priest we all knew to the home of Susan and Tony Kiernan. That was the beginning of a love story that has shaped our lives.
Susan’s warmth and unabashed enjoyment of the moment made living every day a welcome adventure. Soon we were sharing so many beautiful times together with our families and those of so many friends to whom Susan introduced us. Our Christmas card list is made up of the people we met through Susan and Tony.
Their five children, two sons-in-law, three daughters-in-law, and 16 grandchildren knew a love that was focused and encouraging, as Susan and Tony saw each person as an individual with unique and beloved personalities. And over the years, Susan invited us to share so many wonderful times with all of them.
Summer after summer found us piling our growing families into Susan’s oversized van and heading off to Nantasket Beach. Susan was rarely happier than when she had sand under her toes and the ocean’s waves rushing to shore in front of her, as if inviting her in for a swim. And swim she did! Susan had the uncanny ability to swim in the ocean and never get her beautiful hair wet.
Susan’s heart was legendary. Sometimes it seemed as if she were going for the world record on how many birthdays she could remember, games or dance recitals she could attend, miles she could drive to be where she was needed, and pounds of food she could prepare for distant tailgates, Maine vacations, or parties in the Kiernan barn.
During days when we were struggling with loss or poor health, we would find a bunch of fresh flowers, an unexpected meal, or an uplifting card at our back door. And Susan did it all with a quiet elegance, happy to know that others would feel welcomed, supported, and loved.
Everyone who knew Susan (and it seems as though everyone did) has their own stories of the ways in which she demonstrated to them her genuine care and concern. Susan helped make things happen for people. She found ways to connect them to services they needed, gave or arranged countless rides to appointments, worked with school counselors to help students in need, and managed to connect givers with families experiencing difficulties during the holidays.
Such efforts led Susan and others to seek a way to ensure that these services would grow and become an institution in the community. The Hingham Interfaith Food Pantry was begun 35 years ago by Susan and a small group of other people who recognized the need for such a service. The thousands and thousands of hours Susan put into its organization and staffing have helped generations of people maintain their dignity while negotiating challenges. Perhaps the most meaningful gift of all was the phone call Susan often made to ask, “Can I do anything for you?”
Susan also possessed a beautiful faith that centered her life and gave her the confidence to move forward against all odds and to embrace life with gratitude. Those of us lucky enough to have known Susan will never be the same. We are better people, more aware of how wonderful it is to be noticed and remembered, more willing to get a kick out of life and laugh at many of its absurdities, and more grateful for the people and opportunities we have the good fortune to encounter.”
Those who wish to honor Susan’s memory may make a donation to the Hingham Food Pantry (checks can be mailed to 685 Main Street, Hingham, MA, 02043), Womanade of the South Shore, or Society of St. Vincent de Paul Boston.