We introduced the Growing Good Fund in 2023 – a fund established by the Board to further cement the Co-op’s legacy in the Valley, with a strong focus on the cooperative principle “Concern for Community.” The Co-op donated $100,000 to Viva Farms in both 2023 and 2024 through the Growing Good Fund. We’re excited to announce that the Co-op is donating another $100,000 to Viva Farms in 2025 to help fund the completion of its barn.

Viva is a non-profit Skagit Valley organic farm and beginning farmer support organization with a mission to preserve sustainable farming and create a resilient and just local food system. Viva continues to train the next generation of farmers to care for our land, grow our food, and nourish our communities, and we are happy to be a part of those efforts.

Viva Farms Barn Update

Building a better world is daunting. The world is big! We only have two hands, a few acres, limited time… how do we make sure we leave a world that’s safe, nourishing and – dare we say – delicious, for our neighbors, kids, and dear ones? It is easy to feel a sort of “analysis paralysis” as the issues we care about pile up into a long list. Every day, and usually more often, we have to decide which wagon to hitch our cart to, which headline to read, which issue to champion. Starting local can help. Perhaps we can’t build a better world right away, but can we build a better Skagit?

You’re on your way. Keeping your dollars local and participating as a member of the Co-op are important steps you’re taking. On 5% Friday especially so, but it’s true every day because cooperatives form when people work together toward a common goal that can’t be achieved alone. And with that comes community.

Many in our community have already invested in bettering our local food system, and we all benefit from their commitment. Building a barn is one way Viva Farms is working to build a better Skagit – not because Skagit is not already great or not a place to be proud of, but because we work with amazing farmers, staff, and partners who can and want to offer something more. It is motivating to have a strong foundation of the current incubating farmers and agricultural community upon which to build a real foundation, something concrete that will benefit the wider community for a long time to come: a building, The Barn at Viva Farms. By increasing delivery infrastructure, storage, and improved processing systems, we hope to provide something lasting to the next generation of farmers.

Viva Farms was proud to be in community with the Skagit Valley Food Co-op staff and members in 2023 and 2024, and we are beyond grateful to continue to do so in 2025. At the start of the year, we accepted another $100,000 donation through the Skagit Valley Food Co-op’s Growing Good Fund to make The Barn at Viva Farms an operating reality this year. We know that if we can build The Barn at Viva Farms we will, in turn, be able to offer a new stability to beginning farmers. Over a year ago, we tore down a decrepit building, and now we have a sturdy structure that is just missing a few key elements. You may have noticed the progress of the building’s exterior being completed. With a few more donations and continued support, the progress will continue into spring – and with all fingers and toes crossed – farmers will be able to use it during the upcoming growing season.

We couldn’t build a better Skagit without the contributions of our farmers, and we can’t build The Barn at Viva Farms without you. You, the Skagit Valley Food Co-op community and members, are helping build a stronger, more resilient local food system for the future, and we are so grateful to be doing it alongside you. To learn more about the progress of The Barn, and to make a contribution towards its completion, please visit us at www.vivafarms.org. We look forward to hearing from you. Here’s to a better world, and a better Skagit.

Co-ops Grow Good: $100,000 Viva Farms Donation

Viva Farms Barn Update