The Whidbey Island Grown Cooperative is looking to expand after a successful year, and it is enlisting the community’s help.

The cooperative is hosting a fundraiser to expand its infrastructure. The organization’s goal is to raise $50,000 to be put toward a walk-in cooler, a freezer and a humidity-controlled storage room.

“The growth we’ve experienced on the Food Hub over the past year and a half is thanks to you, our wonderful community,” wrote cooperative coordinator Shannon Bly in an email. “The support and encouragement of our customers is so inspiring as we build the Food Hub and the Co-op. The funds we raise will allow us to continue to grow and build the Food Hub, sell even more local product, and continue to strengthen our local food system.”

Whidbey Island Grown fulfilled more than 3,000 orders to almost 1,000 customers in 2021.

Patrons can make a tax deductible donation through the cooperative’s 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor, Northwest Agricultural Business Center, at https://nabc.betterworld.org/campaigns/whidbey-island-grown.

Photo by Karina Andrew/Whidbey News-Times The 1902 Ranch in Coupeville, where these chickens live, is a member of the Whidbey Island Grown Cooperative.