Support The Co-op
WIGC Capacity Building Campaign 2026
Whidbey Island Grown Cooperative began with big goals of uniting our island food producers and eaters, developing new markets for local farmers, reducing costs through shared programs, building out infrastructure, and sharing our stories.
2021
2023
Food Access
Ineligble for SNAP/EBT, and with food access funding uncertain, WIGC developed our own fund to bring more local food to our low income community members. The Community Food Access Matching Fund is entirely funded by Food Hub customer donations. It has served XX food access organizations and XX individuals, for a total of XX. Managing this program is part of our administrative work.
Developing Markets
Some of WIGC’s administrative and sales staff time is used develop new markets for our small scale island food producers. WIGC’s Food Hub provides a year-round market, allowing producers to sell even in the winter and shoulder season. We have also developed a wholesale program to provide direct sales support to buyers and producers. New markets still in development include farmer to florist Hub offerings and transport services. WIGC wants to continue providing staff for market development.
2026
What started in 2009 as a shared marketing project has grown today into a 97 member cooperative with core programs like the Food Hub, storage facilities, transport services, and marketing. WIGC works with 120+ local businesses, support organizations, and institutions, and serves over 1000 island customers each year.
Mission Driven
Our Co-op is engaged in growing sales for our producers on the Food Hub (learn more about our Food Hub HERE), but we also provide programmatic services to our producers and members, which don’t generate income directly.
Marketing
WIGC provides marketing and promotion services to all its members and many community partners. Marketing includes providing branded materials like twist ties, merch, and signage; promoting local food and farming on high visiblity marketing channels; creating stories and content to highlight producers, customers, and products; organizing Eat Local Month campaign in September. These activities are part of our marketing and administrative work.
Producer Support
WIGC staff work closely with producers from the time they join the co-op. Staff supports small scale producers to grow their businesses, whether that’s branching out beyond a farmstand, entering the wholesale market, or reaching new customers. Grant funding has provided administrative, wholesale sales support, and content creation for the past two years, ending Sept 2026. WIGC wants to continue to provide staff and administration for these activities.
Building Capacity
Since 2020, WIGC has built out two warehouses and two storage facilities to house Food Hub operations and provide cold, freezer, and dry storage rental to producers. We have created a distribution network to transport food not only to all of Whidbey Island but also to the mainland and back. We have developed a network of relationships and communication that connect producers, organizations, and consumers.
Part of this work involves writing and managing grant funding, as well as developing or supporting projects with our members and partners. This work requires administrative staff.
Keep Whidbey Growing
Our cooperative requires administrative staff to keep everything running smoothly. Our programs require staff and resources to reach their full potential. The infrastructure we’ve developed requires maintenance and occasional repairs. Our future development requires grant writing and project development.
Community support is essential to sustaining this work.
Through the Keep Whidbey Growing campaign, Whidbey Island Grown Cooperative is raising $100,000 to support the people, vehicles, equipment, and technology that keep our local food ecosystem components working.
This is more than an investment in one organization. It is an investment in Whidbey’s farms, food businesses, working lands, food access, and ability to feed itself for generations to come.
Help us Keep Whidbey Growing.
Spread the Word
Every donation gets us closer to our goal of raising $100,000. You can help us spread the word about our fundraiser by:
Proven Record of Results
WIGC has been awarded $XX in grant funding from federal, state, local, and private funders to build out infrastructure, strengthen the post-harvest supply chain, support our local small-scale producers, and develop our programs. The funds we receive, along with our Food Hub and services income, are always spent efficiently to benefit our members and community. Our work reaches over 100 businesses and organizations, and thousands of people both on and off Whidbey Island.
Building Infrastructure
16’ Refrigerator Truck
Refrigerated Sprinter Van
Built out 2 warehouses
Built out 2 rentable storage facilities
Local Food Distribution Network including all-island delivery
Development and Administration
Full-time administrative staff
Part-time dedicated sales/wholesale staff
Part-time content creator and marketing support staff
Eat Local Month campaign coordination and promotion