For Ebony Guerrier, community service has never been about praise or publicity — it’s about showing up, giving back, and bringing joy to Uniondale families who need it most.
Guerrier, 42, a mother of three, ages 18, 11 and 9, is a second-grade paraprofessional at Uniondale’s Smith Street Elementary School and vice president of the PTA. In September 2020 she founded Mrs. G’s Brown Bag Charity, a grassroots initiative that began with a simple food and clothing drive and grew into a year-round source of support for families across Uniondale and nearby communities. For all that she has accomplished since then, the Herald is proud to name her its 2025 Person of the Year.
Since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic in the summer of 2020, Guerrier has helped lead seasonal drives and family-friendly events that have become neighborhood fixtures, from food distributions and school supply giveaways to “trunk-or-treats.”
“People were dying left and right,” she said of the height of the Covid-19 trauma. “I was like, how can we keep the community happy and inspired? How do we do that safely?”
She knew that with thousands of people out of work — nearly 300,000 on Long Island by the summer of 2020, according to State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli — families would need food and clothing more than ever.
So Guerrier turned to Facebook, her primary networking tool, to rally help. She joined community groups such as Freeport New York, Moms of Long Island and Mommy Poppins, connecting with others who wanted to give back.
In the summer of 2020, in Freeport’s Randall Park, she laid out more than a dozen bags of donated items — clothing, shoes, toys and nonperishable food — on picnic tables. Most of it was given away that day, and what was left was donated to local homeless shelters and nursing homes.
In Guerrier’s eyes, Uniondale does not benefit from the same charitable outreach and support as neighboring communities do. And even though there are nonprofits in the hamlet such as the Community Council, she believed that more help was needed.
“I don’t feel like those opportunities are here,” she said. “And in order to make that happen, it does take somebody — somebody’s bright idea of kindness to even get that started.”
Her 18-year-old daughter, Ryana Guerrier, said that when her mom comes up with an idea, she follows through on it, and nothing can stop her.
“She will speak to the PTA and say how she feels, or she’ll do it by herself for her students,” Ryana said. “After, people see how good it was for the community.”
Even after Ebony helped families during the pandemic, she wanted to make more of a difference, which led her to create Mrs. G’s Brown Bag Charity, whose first initiative was a school supply drive. For help, she reached out to longtime friend Kami Clahar, of Baldwin, a fellow Uniondale High School graduate.
“Ebony always has ideas, and she organizes and she executes,” Clahar said. “And it’s really remarkable.”
Before Halloween 2020, Guerrier came up with the idea of a trunk-or-treat, in which kids stop by cars and pick up candy, because some neighbors closed their doors for the season. “And I was like, ‘That’s a great idea,’” Clahar recalled. “It was just a great morale boost for the community, to lift everybody’s spirits, because it was tough,” she added of the pandemic.
Mrs. G hosted its first trunk-or-treat at Uniondale Avenue Park. Most of the volunteers who decorated their vehicles were Guerrier’s and Clahar’s friends from high school. One of them, Eric Turner, a firefighter with the Uniondale Fire Department’s Brookside Engine Company 2, showed up in a fire truck, much to the delight of the children who took part.
But the participants had to be creative, Clahar said, because people were social distancing. Instead of parking cars side by side, they used every other parking space.
Since then, the tradition has grown. This Halloween, more than two dozen cars filled the Uniondale Avenue Park lot, fully decorated and stocked with candy for neighborhood children.
Mrs. G’s has expanded to include other seasonal events, such as an Easter egg hunt, Mother’s Day celebrations and, most recently, a turkey giveaway before Thanksgiving.
Guerrier’s work has influenced her daughter’s own career path. Ryana, who often travels with her to charity events, now attends Nassau Community College, where she’s studying for a degree in education. Her dream is to become a teacher and work with children, just like her mom.
When students from Smith Street see Ebony at community events, they yell, “Hi, Ms. G!” Ryana said, mimicking a child’s voice. “Now that I’m going into teaching, they call me Ms. G’s daughter — like, ‘Oh, Ms. G’s daughter!’ I love hearing that, and seeing how happy they are to see her.”
In addition to her college classes, Ryana works part-time at Northern Parkway School as a lunch monitor. “I like to be with the kids, because I’ve always been with them — for my mom,” she said.
When Ryana joins her mother at giveaways, she often pitches in with creative ideas — picking out candy or snacks, snapping photos, and helping manage logistics when her mom gets overwhelmed.
“I think I’m a multi-tasker — that’s just me,” Ebony said. “I like to be busy, and I like to do good.”
She is an active member of her church, Zion Cathedral, in Freeport, in the missionary department and hospitality. When she saw a need this year, she took charge, organizing the Thanksgiving food drive when federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits were held up.
Mrs. G’s operates without major sponsorships or outside funding. Most events are made possible through a mix of small donations, volunteers, modest participation fees and out-of-pocket contributions from Guerrier and Clahar.
“Quarterly we will come up with different community things that are affordable,” Guerrier said. “We don’t get any sponsorships. We literally do this out of our pockets — or with the community that donates, or families who pay a very minimal fee.”
The Town of Hempstead has supported her efforts by allowing her to use public parks and facilities when they’re available. And local businesses occasionally step up as well.
“For our Halloween events, we may have certain local businesses sponsor a table — they’ll put up a little sign and hand out fliers and candy to the kids,” Clahar said.
“It’s usually just crowd-funded within our little group,” she added, referring to friends and family.
So it’s understandable that Guerrier’s wish is to become a registered nonprofit organization, known as a 501(c)(3). She estimated that she and her friends have spent well over $1,000 on permits, decorations and extras to make her charity event memorable.
“I don’t really have the financial budget to cover becoming a 501(c)(3), but it doesn’t stop me from still being a giver,” Guerrier said. “It’s for the children and for the parents, so it’s worth it.”
