Co-op Donates $100,000 to Community Action’s Skagit Food Distribution Center’s Farm-to-Food Bank Initiative

By Skagit Valley Food Co-op & Community Action

A New Chapter of Growing Good

In 2023, the Co-op kicked off its 50th Anniversary year by donating $100,000 to Viva Farms to support local, organic farming in Skagit Valley through the then newly-established Growing Good Fund—a monumental moment for a monumental year. The Co-op has since donated $200,000 more to Viva Farms through the Growing Good Fund to help solidify healthy, long-term food systems and food security in Skagit.

Since its inception, the Growing Good Fund has been focused on feeding people for generations to come—which we will continue to do, always. With the ever-growing needs of our community, we are now shifting our focus towards feeding people in the here and now. In 2026, we are delighted to announce that we’re donating $100,000 to Community Action’s Skagit Food Distribution Center! Still supporting a healthy, long-term, local food system, this year’s donation will revive a Community Action initiative that helps farmers, food banks, and the families who need food the most.

Lilia Ortiz, Director of the Tri-Parish Food Bank

About Community Action’s Skagit Food Distribution Center

Located in Sedro-Woolley, Community Action’s Skagit Food Distribution Center addresses the problem of food insecurity that affects Skagit County’s most under-resourced individuals and families, and people who never had to ask for help until disasters like the recent floods. With a warehouse and industrial-sized refrigerator and freezer, the Food Distribution Center is the regional hub with the capacity to receive large food shipments and redistribute them to our area’s independent food banks and meal programs.

While Community Action also serves San Juan and Island Counties, its programs have their deepest, most sustained impact within Skagit County. A cornerstone of the county’s food security network, the Food Distribution Center strengthens regional food systems, fosters collaboration, and provides food assistance to thousands of Skagit residents each month. In 2024 alone, the SFDC distributed 3,316,789 pounds of food accessed by 43,962 households, ensuring reliable access to fresh, nutritious food for families in both more populated communities like Mount Vernon and Anacortes, as well as rural areas such as Concrete and Marblemount. In 2025, those numbers were reached before the year was over.

Funding the Farm-to-Food Bank Initiative

Every year, the Food Distribution Center contracts to purchase nutritious local produce from 30+ farmers. In addition to getting great Skagit produce on the tables of food bank customers, Community Action volunteers deliver 260 monthly food boxes with shelf-stable food and fruits and veggies to home-bound seniors; the fresh, local produce is one reason they sign up.

Community Action piloted a small-farm infrastructure effort more than a decade ago that enabled growers to acquire essential equipment and repay investments through produce contributions to emergency food programs. While limited in duration, the project demonstrated the powerful potential of linking farm sustainability with community food access. The initiative was funded again from 2022-2024 by Food Lifeline, and now the Growing Good Fund will re-launch, help sustain, and eventually multiply the impact of this work that already has a successful track record with local farmers and food banks alike.

Erik Olson of Well Fed Farms

“Hardworking families are at the kitchen table looking at their budgets and deciding between paying for rent, childcare, or groceries,” says Patricia Hochreiter, Food Access Manager at Community Action.

“At the same time, we see cuts in nutrition programs at the federal and state levels. The need for nutritious food has never been greater.” Purchasing and getting donations from local farms is a win-win for hungry families, and for farmers, Hochreiter says.

Erik Olson, owner and founder of Well Fed Farms, agrees. “Our goal has always been to grow and provide real, quality food for as many people as possible,” says Olson, who’s been farming for 15 years.

“By partnering with the Food Distribution Center, we’re able to reach an even wider range of people than we could on our own.”

A decade ago, Well Fed Farms was one of the farms that partnered with Community Action to secure funding for a critical piece of infrastructure: a walk-in cooler and freezer that allowed Olson to scale up production and expand into wholesale markets.

“As a first-generation farmer, making that investment on my own would have required a large operating loan,” Olson explains. “Community Action helped make it possible.”

With grants from the USDA and the State of Washington, the Skagit Food Distribution Center invested in farm infrastructure across the region, from tractors to seeds and processing equipment. Community Action has also served as a fiduciary for other programs, so local food banks could purchase equipment they couldn’t afford on their own. Today, even with the equipment loan paid off, Olson gives back to the same organization that helped him grow, donating fresh produce to the Food Distribution Center to ensure high-quality organic food reaches every corner of the community.

The Co-op is glad to now be part of the collaboration, and we are excited to watch the partnership grow, so we can bring amazing Skagit-grown produce from more farms to food banks, and ultimately to the family table.