Pay It Forward Finalist: Scarlett Manganaro helps Granada Hills families with food donations

GRANADA HILLS, Calif. (KABC) -- A Granada Hills woman, who works tirelessly to make sure families in need never go hungry, was surprised to find out she was a finalist in ABC7's "Pay It Forward" contest.

Scarlett Manganaro has delivered 100 boxes of food to the Parent Center at John F Kennedy High School to feed poverty-stricken families every month for more than three years.

Managanaro was nominated by her friend, Jessica Irias, for the "Pay It Forward" grand prize of $10,000 in furniture from Mathis Brothers.

"She deserves it!" cried Irias. "They don't get nothing in return. They expect nothing back. Scarlett and her husband do it from the bottom of their heart. They're humble people, hard working people. It's amazing!"

Manganaro had no idea what was coming next when Eyewitness News showed up.

"My knees are shaking, oh my God!" Manganaro said. "This is awesome."

Manganaro is beloved in her community for her work through the Friends in Need Foundation, which she also helped create.

"Having a meal on your table shouldn't be a privilege," she said. "Everybody should have it abundantly."

Always focused on others, Manganaro says it does feel nice to be appreciated.

"Well, we have quite a few dogs and they've chewed up our couch," she laughed when asked what she would do if she won the $10,000 in furniture. "No, literally, like chewed everything up!"

The grand prize winner will be announced Thursday on the ABC7 Morning Show.