We are delighted to share that we are presenting a workshop during Educational Session H on Saturday, November 1 at 1:30 PM!
The topic is boosting participation in your Non-Congregate Summer Meals Program and SUN Bucks through Marketing and Promotion
No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, a national non-profit organization. We are committed to ending childhood hunger in the United States by helping launch and improve programs that give kids the food they need to thrive.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Explain the importance of raising awareness for rural non-congregate summer meals and SUN Bucks programs.
- Identify key audiences and outreach channels to effectively promote summer meals access in their communities
- Utilize customizable, multilingual outreach materials to communicate program information clearly.
- Apply practical strategies for social media, direct outreach, and community engagement to boost program visibility
Description:
Raising awareness about summer meals programs is essential to ensuring children and their families can access nutritious meals all summer long. This interactive workshop will equip participants with effective strategies to promote rural non-congregate summer meals and the SUN Bucks program.
Participants will be introduced to a variety of ready-to-use and customizable materials – in both English and Spanish – to help communicate with families. From tailored outreach to social media utilization and community engagement, participants will learn how to effectively promote programs and make a lasting difference in their communities.
Resources:
- Summer Meals Outreach Toolkit: Program Toolkit – No Kid Hungry
- Slide Deck – Communications & Outreach: Lessons Learned from 2024 and Opportunities for 2025 | No Kid Hungry Center for Best Practices
- Rural Non-Congregate Summer Meals in 2023: Insights from the First Year of a New Program | No Kid Hungry Center for Best Practices
Presenters:
- Mariela Donis, Associate Director, No Kid Hungry
Mariela is a Senior Program Manager of No Kid Hungry California, a campaign of Share Our Strength. In this role, Mariela works collaboratively with stakeholders throughout Northern California to ensure children have access to the nutrition they need to be healthy and thrive.
Mariela is a dedicated advocate for children, with over twenty years of experience in developing and leading community programs. Before joining Share Our Strength, Mariela served as the Senior Program Director at Girls Inc. of Alameda County where she oversaw all aspects of K-12 after school, summer, and school-based programming across the Bay Area. Her experience also includes managing literacy programs at Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County.
Mariela was born in Guatemala and immigrated to the United States at the age of four. She grew up in Oakland and San Francisco, attending public schools in these cities, and later earning Bachelor’s of Arts in Sociology from Sacramento State University. Her personal journey as an immigrant and experience as a Bay Area public school student have deeply informed her professional journey and fuel her commitment to serving children living in underserved communities. Mariela is based in El Dorado Hills, California.
- Tommy V. Le, Program Manager, No Kid Hungry
Tommy is a Program Manager for the No Kid Hungry campaign. He provides statewide campaign support to the California program team, manages the state’s digital platforms, as well as leads the campaign’s storytelling and labor engagement strategy.
Before joining Share Our Strength, Tommy managed a one-acre urban farm where he grew life-giving vegetables, herbs and flowers for Brooklyn’s Flatbush and South Crown Heights neighborhoods. Tommy led hands-on educational workshops and apprenticeships for New Yorkers to increase their knowledge of food systems and build high level organic growing skills to share with their communities. Tommy attended UC Santa Cruz, then received his Masters in Nutrition and Food Studies from New York University and now resides in his hometown of Los Angeles, CA.
Last update: October 27, 2025
