Community Food Co-op

The Co-op Farm Fund has been around for 26 years. In that time, it has supported 164 small farms in this area, with over $878,699 directly invested in local agriculture. You’ve likely encountered many of the farms and farmers it has helped, whether at the Co-op, the farmers market, or just in your day-to-day.

Viva Farms, Free Range Flowers, Boldly Grown Farm, and Spring Time Farm are all part of the Farm Fund story, along with efforts that have grown into local staples, like Twin Sisters Mobile Market. Even Bellingham Farmers Market has received funds from the Farm Fund.

In recent years, much of the money we’ve raised for the Farm Fund has gone toward flood relief efforts. After the disastrous flooding this past December, the fund contributed more than $32,000 to cleanup and rebuilding, ensuring the continued success of our region’s independent farming community.

Now, through August and September, donations you make at the register to our Community Change Fund will go toward the Co-op Farm Fund, and through that, the Whatcom and Skagit County farmers who feed us.

Your donation will:
• Fund farm tools, like wash stations, field cultivators, and season-extending equipment that help small operations grow more food.
• Help farmers through hardships by providing emergency support and disaster recovery for when a season goes sideways.
• Open doors for new growers by giving grants, scholarships, and low-interest loans to farmers just getting started.

These donations make a real difference. In June and July, our Community Change Fund supported nine smaller food banks in the Whatcom County Food Bank Network. That initiative raised $53,026 — thank you! With the help of volunteers, these organizations work to distribute groceries, fresh produce, and culturally relevant foods to families facing food insecurity across Whatcom County.

Magdalena Theisen is a much-loved cooking instructor, and her Fairhaven restaurant, Magdalena’s Creperie, has been a local favorite since 2008. She’s closing it this September, and Bellingham will miss it, but she’s staying part of the community. This August, she’s teaching a Polish class at the Co-op, in partnership with Whatcom Community College: hand-fermented sauerkraut plus her hearty hunter’s stew. It’s a demonstration class with tastings, so come hungry.

Easy Polish Sauerkraut & Hunter’s Stew
Tuesday, Aug. 18 | 6:30 to 9 p.m.
Co-op Community Connections Building
Register at the link in our bio.

Beyond just being a locally owned business (we’re owned by our members, not distant investors), we’re heavily involved in this community in ways that aren’t always obvious.

To help elevate all the wonderful and cool things that happen around here, we’ve launched a new events web page. It’s where we share what’s happening at the Co-op as well as community events we sponsor or otherwise support. We’ll highlight member activities, chef demos, Community Shopping Days, sales, and the local events that make this area special.

Here’s a few exciting events that are happening soon. And from now on, you can always find them on our website!

Subdued Stringband Jamboree photo by John Longcore.

On the wall in my office hangs a simple sign that says, "Cooperation is Radical."

I find myself looking at it daily and reflecting on how true it feels — perhaps more now than ever.

In a world that often encourages us to look out for ourselves first, cooperation asks us to think differently. It reminds us that we can accomplish more when we work together than when we go it alone, and that what's best for one individual isn't always what's best for the whole. Seeking first to understand and taking time to consider differing points of view is how we learn, grow, and often find a better path forward.

That's really what a food cooperative is all about. Every member-owner, local farmer, food producer, staff member, and community partner plays a part in building something none of us could create on our own.

Every time you choose to shop at the Co-op, support a local farmer, volunteer in our community, or simply share a meal made with local ingredients, you're participating in that simple but powerful idea.

Thank you for helping make Community Food Co-op so much more than a grocery store. Together, we're building a stronger local food system and a stronger community.

I never take that for granted.

With love and gratitude,

Lisa Sedlar, CEO/GM

This summer's cyclosporiasis outbreak is just the tip of the iceberg (lettuce).

The recalled lettuce traces back to one company, Taylor Farms, who supplies nearly one in three salads sold in the U.S. When a single producer feeds that much of the country, one problem can spread across more than two dozen states before anyone pins down the source. Washington isn't on the recall list, and we're glad for that. But it's worth asking what a food system that big really costs us.

Local food works differently. The people who grow the produce sold at the Co-op, Bellingham Farmers Market, or through a CSA, are often your neighbors. They are farmers you can actually get to know. They have a stake in your health because it's their community, too.

Right now, find greens from Moondance Farm, Spring Time Farm, Well Fed Farm, The Growing Garden, and more, in our Produce Department.

We’re here to help you shop the best food we can offer, confidently and safely. If you have questions about our sourcing or food safety practices, ask us here or talk with any of our produce staff.

Thank you for supporting local food.

Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/cyclosporiasis
https://www.taylorfarms.com/recall/
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-cyclosporiasis-outbreak
https://business.maryland.gov/news/taylor-farms-plans-expansion-150-new-jobs/

Know of a local organization in need?

We are now accepting applications for our 2027 Community Shopping Days program. Twelve local organizations will be selected to receive a share of next year's donations.

Eligible groups serve Whatcom County in one or more of these areas: food and sustainable agriculture; social justice, peace, and human rights; ecological issues; education; health and well-being; cooperative development; and community development.

If you work with an organization that qualifies or know someone who does, we encourage you to share this opportunity. Apply here:

https://communityfood.coop/community-shopping-days/

These are our 2026 recipients thus far. See the rest at the link above.