Board Announces 2021 4% Friday Recipients

One of our most exciting ways to support community is through 4% Friday! You shop and together we give 4% of Co-op sales on one Friday a month to a non-profit, charitable community organization. And just think--each of these organizations is, itself, supporting the community! What a great circle of giving.

Viva Farms – January 22

Viva Farms is a non-profit farm business incubator established in 2009. They empower aspiring and historically-underserved and limited resource farmers by providing bilingual (English/Spanish) training in holistic, regenerative, organic agriculture.

Viva has recently been able to acquire 20 additional acres of Skagit farmland for its incubating and Agricultural Park farmers. Funds from 4% Friday will go directly toward the improvement of agriculture infrastructure on this new site to make it "farmer-ready" in the 2021 season.

Skagit County Meals on Wheels – February 26

Skagit County Meals on Wheels provides services to meet the primary issue of hunger that exists among older adults in Skagit County.

Funds from 4% Friday will help to supply meals to the growing Meals on Wheels client base.

Due to the pandemic, the program has grown by 19%. One thousand dollars would supply 112 hot, homemade meals to homebound seniors in Skagit County.

Children of the Valley – March 26

Children of the Valley (COV) is an afterschool program that serves students in the Mount Vernon School District. Its mission is to provide a positive environment every day after school for children who are the most in need. COV is a referral-based program, referred by the student’s school counselor and/or teachers based on academic and personal needs.

Last fall, COV expanded its services to two sites to serve more students, continuing to offer students of essential workers academic and personal support during the day with their remote learning. COV will use 4% Friday Funds to purchase much needed outdoor equipment and enrichment supplies for the kids to use during outside play when they’re not participating with online remote learning.

Mount Vernon Farmers Market – April 23

The mission of the Mount Vernon Farmers Market is to provide the citizens of Skagit County fresh, locally grown produce and handcrafted items and support community agriculture in a friendly, informative atmosphere.

At the market, one of the main goals is food access. 4% Friday funds will help support the market’s Skagit PICKs program, where they provide free fruits and vegetables to low-income families with educational tools from their partner, Skagit Pediatrics.

Concrete Farm to School – May 28

The mission of Concrete Farm to School is to build resilient students and families by providing access to healthy local foods, nutrition and culinary education, and hands-on gardening activities. Concrete Farm to School serves students, families, and community members that live within the Concrete School District boundaries.

4% Friday funds will be used to support Concrete Farm to School’s 8-week summer vocational program for high school students. Learning is integrated into their summer experience with a focus on critical job skills such as communication, conflict management, resume writing, interviewing, and much more.

Camp Korey – June 25

The mission of Camp Korey is to honor the courage, strength, and determination of children and their families living with life-altering medical conditions by providing them with a transformational experience in a fun, safe camp environment with specialized medical support.

Annually, Camp Korey serves over 1,500 children and families living with one or more of 35 serious medical conditions. All Camp Korey programs are 100% free of cost to children and families.

Camp Korey will use funds from 4% Friday towards the cost of installing permeable pavers to make their garden more accessible for children using wheelchairs and walkers because the paths are currently covered in gravel.

Skagit Gleaners – July 23

Skagit Gleaners is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization. Its purpose is to provide food, household merchandise, and clothing to frugal, waste-conscious, and working families.

Skagit Gleaners does this by rescuing surplus food and product from local businesses, keeping such items out of overflowing landfills. Since COVID-19, they’ve rescued and redistributed roughly 150,000 pounds of food each month. Of that, they distributed nearly 65,000 pounds each month to local food banks.

4% Friday Funds will be used to offset the costs of commercial cold storage space. The amount of incoming surplus food from the community has tripled since COVID-19 began. As a result, Skagit Gleaners have had to invest in more freezer space to store food prior to distribution.

Food to Go – August 27

Food to Go provides supplemental weekend food for the students of the Anacortes School District. Most students in the program are those who receive free and reduced lunch at school but often go hungry over the weekend.

4% Friday funds will be used to buy fresh fruit or veggies to put in lunch bags. Food to Go prepared approximately 119 bags a week last summer, but future school numbers are projected to double

YMCA Oasis Teen Shelter – September 24

Skagit Valley Family YMCA’s mission is to create positive community change through relationships empowering the mind, body, and spirit of all.Oasis also uses this mission but emphasizes providing “the gift of time” to youth experiencing homelessness.

4% Friday funds will be utilized by the Oasis’ Daylight Center to provide daily activities that youth can participate in like more enriching field trips or painting pottery downtown.

One Community One Family – October 22

One Community One Family’s mission is to provide support at diagnosis to cancer patients in the Skagit Valley community.It believes most people aren’t fully prepared for the overwhelming emotional and physical changes, as well as the financial hardships of cancer.

One Community One Family is awarding need-based grants of $1000, and 4% Friday funds will help support 2-3 grants.That’s 2 or 3 families whose burden will be eased slightly while they try to navigate diagnosis and how they’re going to make everything work while caring for their family.

Skagit DVSAS – November 19

The mission of Skagit DVSAS is to end domestic violence and sexual assault in the community through empowerment, advocacy, education, awareness, and action for social change. Their vision is for all people to live full, free, expressive, and empowered lives in a safe, vibrant, healthy, and peaceful community.

4% Friday will be used to supplement the agency’s existing hotel voucher funds and emergency financial aid budget. This will ensure that Skagit DVSAS can continue to house survivors and their families when the shelter is at capacity during these trying times.

Anacortes Family Center – December 17

The mission of the Anacortes Family Center is to serve homeless women, children, and families in crisis by providing shelter in addition to comprehensive transformational services to achieve long-lasting personal success and self-sufficiency.

4% Friday Funds will be used to support Anacortes Family Center’s life-saving and life-changing program, including case management to help families secure jobs and housing as well as process and heal from unique trauma.