My school-aged children send their friends mishloach manos with items carefully selected to fit the theme of “favorite junk foods” (they are each allowed to send to 2 or 3 friends). Last year my oldest daughter made me very proud when she chose to send to a girl she didn’t know very well, since “that’s the reason for the mitzvah” as my daughter told me.
My husband and I don’t send elaborate mishloach manos, but neither do most of our friends. Generally we prefer to spend more on matanos l’evyonim instead.
When my kids attended a Jewish day care center, my kids and I brought mishloach manos to all of the workers, most of whom were Jewish. That was really a lot of fun, and many of the workers told me it was the only mishloach manos they received.