This update comes with a special letter from SOS staff member, Nathalia Zavala Ramirez, to Supervisor Rebecca Hermosillo to encourage her to keep our neighbor, Flowery School, open.

Nathalia was born and raised in Sonoma. She attended Flowery Elementary School and Adele Harrison Middle School, and graduated from Sonoma Valley High School. An early interest in serving underrepresented communities helped shape her academic and professional journey. In 2022, she earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Sonoma State University, with minors in Spanish, and criminology and criminal justice.

During her time in college, Nathalia joined the SOS team in 2020 as Intake Specialist. Her curiosity about the organization and drive to grow as a leader led to her current role as Executive Assistant and Programs Coordinator.

Committed to deepening her impact in public service and advocacy, she went on to pursue graduate studies at the University of Southern California. There, she earned a master’s degree in public administration, with a certificate in city/county management.

My name is Nathalia Zavala, a proud alumna of Flowery School and the current Executive Assistant and Programs Coordinator at Sonoma Overnight Support (SOS). I write to you not only as a former student, but as a deeply invested community member devastated by the decision to close a school that has long been a cornerstone of equity and opportunity in the Springs.

To me, Flowery was more than a school. It was a space where working-class, bilingual, and immigrant families found support, identity, and belonging. It honored both where we come from and where we’re going. Twenty years later, I stand as living proof of its impact. It planted the seed in me to pursue a life of service, compassion, and advocacy — values I carry every day in my work at SOS.

At SOS, we continue to feel that impact. Before relocating to SOS Unity Kitchen, we served 60 people daily. Now, we serve over 120 individuals every day, many of them parents, staff, and students from Flowery School. Families drop off their children and come to us for hot meals and groceries. Staff stop by during breaks to stretch meals for their own families.

This closure doesn’t just remove a school — it dismantles a network of care. It jeopardizes access to food, community resources, and stability. 53% of those we serve identify as Hispanic or Latino, and the loss of Flowery will only deepen existing inequities in a community already stretched thin.

Flowery serves a dense, working-class, Latino neighborhood, where families walk their children to school, visit local businesses, and rely on services like our Unity Kitchen. This school is an anchor, both educationally and economically.

Yet while schools in wealthier parts of the district have received upgrades, Flowery has been underfunded for years. Now, instead of investing in this community, the district has decided to erase the one public institution that ties it together. This isn’t just inequitable — it feels deliberately harmful.

There was no consultation with local nonprofits or businesses, no outreach to those most impacted. That silence speaks volumes. We believe this closure violates state policy protecting vulnerable communities, and we urge you to take action.

Flowery taught me the power of community — a community that becomes family. That family now feels disrupted, hurt, and unheard.

I ask you to lead with equity, compassion, and justice. Please investigate this decision and stop the closure of Flowery Elementary. Our students, families, neighbors and the future of this community depend on it.

Sincerely,

Nathalia Zavala Ramirez

Executive Assistant & Programs Coordinator

Sonoma Overnight Support

We are incredibly proud of Nathalia and her commitment to our community!

Gratefully,

Kathy King

Executive Director

Please consider making a financial contribution to SOS. This will help us continue to provide meals to members of our Springs community who struggle to make ends meet and keep up with the ever-increasing cost of rent, food, and utilities.