Community Change Fund

During August and September, your donations will support the Co-op Farm Fund — a Community Food Co-op program that builds local agricultural efforts by providing financial assistance.

Since 2000, the Farm Fund has provided $971,199 to 183 local food and farming projects through grants, loans, scholarships, and emergency assistance. The funds that you donate will be used to reestablish grants that were paused late last year so money could be directed toward farmers affected by the 2025/2026 winter season floods.

Your donations will be split among nine smaller food banks that comprise this informal coalition of neighbors helping neighbors in Whatcom County. These food banks distribute groceries, fresh produce, and culturally relevant foods to families facing food insecurity, from Blaine to Everson, Lynden to Lummi Nation. By spreading dollars across the network, we help small, rural, and tribal food banks reach these folks close to home.

CCSNW (Agape) Food Bank • Blaine Food Bank • Ferndale Food Bank • Foothills Food Bank • Lummi Commod Squad • Nooksack Tribal • Nooksack Valley Food Bank • Project Hope Lynden Food Bank • The Salvation Army Bellingham Hope Market

Run by Whatcom Council on Aging, Meals on Wheels and More provides up to seven nutritionally balanced meals per week to adults aged 60 and over. Throughout Whatcom and San Juan counties, meals are delivered to homebound individuals, fostering meaningful social interaction. Community dining is offered for those who are mobile, encouraging folks to engage with their peers over a hot meal. This service is offered on a donation-only basis, and no eligible senior is turned away. 

Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, volunteers provide scratch-made, sit-down meals to neighbors experiencing food insecurity here in Bellingham. Since 1987, this program, run by Opportunity Council, has brought together folks from a wide range of backgrounds — students, seniors, veterans, individuals in recovery, and those experiencing houselessness — creating a welcoming space to share a meal and connect. With an on-site garden that produces approximately 2,500 pounds of fresh food each year, and the help of volunteers who contribute more than 50 hours weekly, Maple Alley Inn served over 11,000 meals in 2025.

Bellingham Food Bank works to create a community where everyone has equitable access to good, healthy food in a space where people feel respected and supported. Serving approximately 5,000 households every week — nearly the entire population of Blaine — it’s the busiest food bank in Washington. In just two years, they’ve seen a 194% increase in client visits. Your donations go toward purchasing fresh, nutritious food directly from local farms for the food bank’s customers.

Operated by members of Lummi Nation, this nonprofit works to build a more prosperous community through cultural education programs and health initiatives. Money raised will support the food sovereignty efforts of the Lummi Commodity Foods Program, which provides raised garden boxes, soil, and plant starts for those who want them. It also funds cooking and food preservation classes to teach tribal members how to utilize the food they grow, increasing positive outcomes for the entire community, from children to elders.