Summer Meals Spotlight
Thursday, January 22 on Zoom
Earn up to 3.5 Hours of CEUs; Certificate(s) Provided
*Registration includes on demand viewing through February 2, 2026.*
Member Pricing: $69
Non-Member Pricing: $99
SCHEDULE
Schedule presented in the Eastern time zone.
THURSDAY, JAN. 22, 2026
11:00 am – 11:30 am | Launch Your SUN Meals Program
11:45 am – 12:45 pm | SUN Meals in Action: Best Practices in Summer Meal Service
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm | Summer Feeding: Strategic Planning for Rural and Urban Meal Service
ON DEMAND
SFSP Overview
Meet Our Speakers
Heather Guzman, Director of Meal Programs and Compliance, San Antonio Food Bank
Heather oversees the administration of federal and private children’s feeding programs worth over 4 million dollars. She specializes in the children’s program compliance and capability, ensuring children receive nutritious, well-balanced meals. With Heather's leadership, SAFB has been recognized by the Texas Department of Agriculture for providing locally grown foods to children while connecting the community to agriculture, increased community collaborations and healthy living promotions.Â
McKenzie Brunner, MGPS, Senior Policy & Outreach Specialist, National CACFP Association
McKenzie is responsible for tracking nutrition policy trends and legislation and serving as a subject matter expert for CACFP. She is also tasked with developing nonprofit partnerships and promoting collaboration among CACFP providers. McKenzie received her master’s degree in global policy from the University of Texas at Austin. With a background in international development and foreign policy, McKenzie is passionate about increasing food security through promoting equitable policy and cross-sector collaboration. Â
Carolyn Wait Vega, MPH, RD, Associate Director, Policy Analysis, No Kid Hungry Center for Best Practices, Share Our StrengthÂ
Carolyn directs the development of Share Our Strength’s state and federal policy priorities, analyzes policy opportunities, and supports government relations. She leads a team working across federal nutrition assistance and anti-poverty programs but has a special focus on summer nutrition programs. She joined Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign in 2015. She holds a Master of Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Melinda Nguyen, MS, RDN, LD, Nutrition Education Specialist, National CACFP Association Â
Melinda is dedicated to showing her passion for nutrition education by developing creative ways to reinforce knowledge. She began her career in Massachusetts by obtaining her Master of Science in Food and Nutrition from Framingham State University.  She worked at Head Start, planning meals for toddlers before moving to Texas to work for Whole Foods Market as a Recipe Data Specialist then taking on a role with a State agency. Melinda joined NCA’s education team in 2025.  Â
Melanie McGuire, Senior Director of Programs, Houston Food BankÂ
Melanie has experience in community and coalition building, nonprofit management, disaster response, and programmatic design, and has been part of the Feeding America network since 2014. Prior to her role at Houston Food Bank, she held executive roles at Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana and San Antonio Food Bank. Melanie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Goucher College.Â
Deborah Gillison-Wilson, CCNP, CMP, Executive Director, Georgia Nutritional Services, Inc.Â
With experience working with CACFP since the 1990s, Deborah has been a CACFP sponsor since 1996. She has led over 40 annual CACFP and Civil Rights trainings and has an overwhelming internal library of knowledge of CACFP. Under her directive, GNSI exists to improve and maintain the sound nutritional health of children and adults by promoting the development of good eating habits for participants enrolled in their clients’ facilities.Â
Sarah Smith-Holmes, Founder & Principal Consultant, Level One ConsultingÂ
Sarah is a seasoned leader with experience in USDA federal nutrition programs since 1990. As the founder of Level One Consulting, she leverages her expertise to create innovative solutions and strengthen food systems. Driven by a passion for child nutrition, Sarah has played a key role in all of the Child Nutrition Programs, ensuring access to healthy meals for millions of children, reaching 38 million recipients across multiple agencies with billions in funding.Â
PROGRAMMING
THURSDAY, JAN. 22, 2026
11:00 am – 11:30 am | Launch Your SUN Meals Program
Get ready to launch a SUN Meals program in your community! Learn what it takes to participate in a USDAÂ summer food program, explore key resources and understand the difference your involvement can make. Take the first step toward ensuring children have access to healthy meals all summer long.Â
- Identify the key requirements, resources and steps needed to participate in a USDA summer food program.Â
- Understand how implementing a SUN Meals program can increase access to healthy meals and positively impact children in your community.Â
Presented by: McKenzie Brunner, MGPS, National CACFP Association
CEU: 0.5 | Specialty: 8Â
11:45 am – 12:45 pm | SUN Meals in Action: Best Practices in Summer Meal ServiceÂ
Hear about real solutions from SUN Meals operators making it happen every day. This panel brings together sponsors and sites to share their best tips, creative solutions and practical advice to help you deliver strong, effective summer food programs in your community.Â
- Identify effective strategies used by SUN Meals sponsors and sites to overcome common challenges.Â
- Explore ways to build and strengthen community partnerships that expand access to summer meals and increase program sustainability.Â
- Apply outreach and engagement techniques to boost program participation and promote awareness in your community.
Moderated by: Carolyn Wait Vega, MPH, RD, No Kid Hungry Center for Best Practices, Share Our StrengthÂ
Panelists: Â
Deborah Gillison-Wilson, CCNP, CMP, Georgia Nutritional Services, Inc.Â
Sarah Smith-Holmes, Level One ConsultingÂ
Melanie McGuire, Houston Food BankÂ
CEU: 1.0 | Specialty: 8
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm | Summer Feeding: Strategic Planning for Rural and Urban Meal Service
Explore how summer meals are planned and delivered across rural and non-rural areas, with a focus on selecting appropriate meal types—hot, cold, frozen and shelf-stable—based on site infrastructure and community needs. We’ll cover menu planning, procurement strategies, vendor coordination and delivery logistics to ensure safe, compliant and accessible meals throughout the summer season. Practical examples and planning tools will support operators in streamlining their operations and improving service efficiency.Â
- Identify key differences in menu planning for rural and non-rural sites.Â
- Apply procurement strategies that align with USDA requirements, including vendor selection, contract management and cost-effective sourcing.Â
- Develop delivery coordination plans that address scheduling, inventory management and proper storage and handling across diverse site types.Â
Presented by: Heather Guzman, San Antonio Food Bank
CEU: 1.0 | Specialty: 8
ON DEMANDÂ
SFSP Overview
Unsure about what SFSP even means? Are you brand new to child nutrition food programs? Do you run one program and are thinking about sponsoring another? Learn how this summer food program provides healthy food access for children in child care, afterschool and out-of-school time during the summer months when school is out of session. Â
- Understand the basics of SFSP.Â
- Identify the need for summer meals.Â
- Learn the types of sites and how areas of eligibility are determined.Â
Presented by: Melinda Nguyen, MS, RDN, LD, National CACFP AssociationÂ
Watch for email confirmations and event access instructions in early January. Add nca@cacfp.org to your safe email sender list so our communications don't get lost in your spam or junk filters.
Frequently Asked Questions
