Alondra Alvarado (she/her/ella)

President & CEO

email: alondra@sdhunger.org

Alondra Alvarado was born in Lakeview Terrace, CA and raised in Tijuana, Mexico. She is the first in her extended family to graduate from college with a degree in psychology from the Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC) and completed the Political Communications and Strategic Governance course with the George Washington University in 2017. Alondra moved to the United States in 2015 and prior to her career in San Diego, her work experience included Chief of Staff to a Councilmember for Tijuana’s City Council and Media and Public Relations Advisor for the Baja California State Congress.

Alondra’s professional path in San Diego has been motivated by advocating for traditionally underserved communities and serving as a liaison between communities, services and advocacy, bringing opportunities and resources closer to them.

She joined the San Diego Hunger Coalition as Director of Marketing and Communications in June 2023 as she felt the need to start using her lived and professional experience to help reduce the number of families in her community facing nutritional insecurity and was promoted to President & CEO in December of the same year.

Alondra has volunteered in a variety of organizations such as Castro-Limón Foundation in Mexico and Reality Changers in San Diego. She also has served as board secretary of San Diego & Imperial County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and she as a board member with San Diego Friends of the Public Library.

Passions: During her personal time, you can find Alondra watching a Padres game with her brother while they discuss Star Wars theories, spending time at museums and libraries with her 8-year-old niece or traveling within the state of Baja California scouting for new locally-owned spots.

Sarah D’Agostino (she/her)

Director of Operations

email: sarah@sdhunger.org

Sarah D’Agostino joined the San Diego Hunger Coalition with an extensive background in Customer Service stemming from over 15 years in Retail and Event Management.  Sarah spent 4 years in Motorsports as an integral part of the Non-Profit Promotor team in Detroit, MI before moving to New Orleans, LA to assist in its inaugural IndyCar race; leading the development and management of the Hospitality and Volunteer Programs. Sarah received a Bachelor of Arts in Media Arts & Studies with a minor in Business Administration from Wayne State University.

Relocated from Detroit, Michigan in 2019; she’s fulfilled a lifelong dream of moving to San Diego and thrilled to work for an organization whose mission so positively impacts the community.  Sarah works closely with the CEO to monitor the needs of the organization and staff, and to manage financials, human resources, event planning and general office functions.

Passions: Sarah loves traveling to new places, watching movies, swinging in her hammock and throwing darts with her wife.

Joseph Kendrick (he/him)

Research Manager

email: joseph@sdhunger.org

Joseph Kendrick is San Diego Hunger Coalition’s Research Manager. Joseph joined the team in 2022 and comes from Crete, IL. He graduated from Grand Valley State University with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics and is now working to get a master’s degree in political science from San Diego State University.  

Before joining the San Diego Hunger Coalition, Joseph worked as an Economist/Statistician for the Bureau of Labor Statistics within the Occupation Employment and Wage Statistics program. His interest in economics and anti-poverty research pushed him to pursue a position in the anti-hunger space where he’s happy to bring his experience with data, research, and labor economics to the Hunger Coalition.  

Passions: Outside of work, Joseph enjoys playing and watching sports, primarily basketball and baseball, as well as learning about political economics, theory, and history. He loves watching movies, listening to all kinds of music, and spending down time with friends and family.

Anae Evangelista (she/her)

Community Impact Manager

email: anae@sdhunger.org

Anae Evangelista joined the San Diego Hunger Coalition as the CalFresh Program Coordinator and promoted to Community Impact Manager in February 2024. Growing up in San Diego, she recognizes the diverse community in the city and strives to secure food security for all and increase access to culturally reflective foods.

Prior to joining the San Diego Hunger Coalition, she worked with the CalFresh Team at UC San Diego, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree. She served as an application assister, serving as a point of communication between the county and students to solve case and application issues. Her outreach work aimed to tackle barriers inhibiting college student accessibility to CalFresh. She’s excited to bring her passion to the San Diego Hunger Coalition to serve as an advocate of food justice for all.

Passions: When she’s not working, she loves trying new crafts and napping with her cat Parsnip.

Carolina Vargas, M.A. (she/her/ella) 

Training and Technical Assistance Specialist

email: carolina@sdhunger.org

Carolina Vargas recently transitioned into the role of Training and Technical Assistance Specialist at the San Diego Hunger Coalition after completing her service as an AmeriCorps VISTA in May 2024. Passionate about developing effective strategies to assist underrepresented communities, Carolina aims to bridge the gap between those in need of essential information to combat hunger and access available food assistance programs.

With previous experience working on the IVC Kitchen project at Imperial Valley College in 2017, Carolina supported low-income students in accessing food assistance programs like the Food Pantry and applying for CalFresh. This experience highlighted the challenges faced by many families and students in accessing nutritious meals and applying for food assistance programs.

Carolina holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish with a minor in Psychology from San Diego State University, graduating in 2020 from the Calexico campus, and completed her master's degree in Spanish in 2023 at the main campus in San Diego. Her educational journey also included participation in Spanish Linguistics research at SDSU, solidifying her belief in the transformative power of education for individual lives and community growth.

Excited to contribute to the fight against hunger in San Diego County, Carolina is dedicated to building projects and initiatives that make a meaningful difference in the lives of those facing food insecurity.

Fun facts: She loves singing, drinking iced vanilla lattes, and playing with her three cats Yedi, Yuki and Yuri.

Monica Martinez (she/her) 

Executive Assistant

email: monica@sdhunger.org

Monica Martinez joined the San Diego Hunger Coalition as the Executive Assistant in 2024. Before joining, she served as the Community Resource Center Supervisor for the Chicano Federation leading their first Resource Center aimed at filling the gap for participants accessing resources and support in the community.

Monica has over five years of non-profit experience including working at Felton Institute with the city of San Francisco’s only Young Family Resource Center. As part of the Family Support Program for the YFRC, Monica was an integral team member in creating programming aimed at strengthening family well-being and resiliency for young parents. Monica has dedicated her career to helping underserved and disenfranchised communities by helping families navigate resources and connecting with other community partners.

She is an active member of MANA de San Diego and a certified Abriendo Puertas facilitator. Born and raised in Southern California to immigrant parents, she went on to become the first person in her family to attend and graduate from college. Monica graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Child Development from San Francisco State University with a concentration in School-Age Children and Families.

Kyleen Martin (she/her) 

AmeriCorps VISTA Education and Outreach Specialist

email: kyleen@sdhunger.org

Kyleen Martin joins the San Diego Hunger Coalition as the Outreach and Education Specialist through the Americorp VISTA Hunger Free America Program. Kyleen is a recent graduate from UC San Diego, receiving her degree in Ethnic Studies and Black Diaspora and African American Studies. 

Kyleen has prior experience as an Outreach and Engagement intern and Social Justice Educator at Cross-Cultural Center at UC San Diego. In this role, she focused on connecting historically underrepresented students to resources, curating community gatherings, and facilitating social justice seminars. She also brings knowledge through an intersectional lens from her research roles as a UC San Diego library assistant and McNair scholar. She has contributed research to projects spanning from student activism, data privacy, food justice, and has helped preserve San Diego oral histories for various community organizations.

Passions: Kyleen enjoys crafting projects of all kinds as well as listening to podcasts and audiobooks