News - WHIDBEY ISLAND NOURISHES

SPRING NEWSLETTER

Click to read our 2021 June Newsletter

COVID-19 response gratitude

Thank you to the Rotary Club of Whidbey Westside, the South Whidbey Garden Club and Puget Sound Energy Foundation for making grant funds available to WIN during the COVID-19 crisis. Along with the generosity from many individual donors, WIN has been able to continue to serve South Whidbey youth and their families uninterrupted during these difficult times.

Goosefoot announces 2019 grant funding

Goosefoot is pleased to have distributed a total of $247,000 to date this year to 26 local non-profit organizations working on behalf of the South Whidbey community.
"We had 36 very worthy organizations apply for funding,” according to Sandy Whiting, Goosefoot’s executive director. “It wasn’t an easy task for our board members to choose among the valuable projects presented. We just wish we could fund everyone that applied.”
Goosefoot awarded $101,000 to the following 21 organizations through its Community Grant Program: CADA Citizens Against Domestic & Sexual Abuse, Clinton Community Hall, Coupeville Farm to School, Friends of Friends Medical Support Fund, Healthy Island Youth Initiative, Hearts and Hammers of South Whidbey Island, Helping Hand of South Whidbey, The Hub Youth Central, Island Senior Resources, Leadership Whidbey, Master Gardener Program, Mother Mentors of Whidbey Island, Orca Network, Organic Farm School, Readiness To Learn, South Whidbey Commons, South Whidbey Historical Museum, South Whidbey Tilth, Whidbey Homeless Coalition, Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, Whidbey Veterans Resource Center
In addition to the Community Grant Program, Goosefoot donated $146,000 to five other non-profit organizations earlier in the year. The South Whidbey School Farms received the last payment of a multi-year grant given before Goosefoot's charitable giving program was formalized in 2017. South Whidbey at Home, Whidbey Camano Land Trust, Whidbey Island Nourishes, and Whidbey Watershed Stewards all receive annual funding in their capacity as supported organizations. And currently, Goosefoot has a $25,000 community matching grant in play for Bayview Community Hall's "Paint the Hall" campaign.
Goosefoot's grant program is made possible with the profits generated by the grocery store they own--The Goose Community Grocer. Thank you to everyone for supporting South Whidbey and shopping the Goose!

gratitude

Thank you to St. Augustine's in the Woods Episcopal Church!
St. Augustine's 57th annual TRASH & TREASURE sale was held May 18th at the church. All proceeds from the sale have been presented to four local non-profit organizations. This year's beneficiaries are the Whidbey Camano Land Trust, Whidbey Island Nourishes (WIN), the Soup's On soup kitchen at The Island Church in Langley, and Whidbey Animals' Improvement Foundation (WAIF)'s Crisis Care Fund. Recipients received $1,250.00 each.

Spring newsletter

Click to read our 2019 Spring Newsletter

2019 Heart to heart

Des Rock ROCKS again!!! On Saturday, March 23, we held our annual fundraiser dinner, Heart to Heart, at the Useless Bay Coffee Company in Langley. With a Valentine’s day theme, it had been postponed from February 9th due to snow and ice, but the heart theme was carried over by students from the South Whidbey Elementary School with charming, colorful, and engaging decorations.
Our heartfelt gratitude goes to Des Rock and his staff for hosting the event, supplying the food, and preparing a delicious gourmet dinner for the event. Thanks also to South Whidbey Elementary School art teacher Valerie Heggenes and her students who created the beautiful works of art that served as our decorations and to Vice Principal Susie Richards for sharing how much WIN means to students at the elementary school. And most of all, thank you to our volunteers and our donors! The impact of their contributions ripple throughout our community and make a difference in the lives of many young people and their families.

Goosefoot announces 2018 grant funding

22 local non-profits (including WIN) received a total of $263,400 in grant funding from Goosefoot during 2018!

The Goosefoot Community Fund have announced that they were able to distribute $99,400 in funding to 16 organizations* through their annual Community Grant Program. Thirty-two funding proposals were submitted by organizations whose projects are in alignment with our mission to build a sense of place and community, preserve rural traditions, enhance local commerce, and help create a healthy, sustainable future for South Whidbey Island.

In addition to their Community Grant Program, Goosefoot donated $164,000 to six other non-profit organizations earlier this year. The Organic Farm School and South Whidbey School Farm received monies from multi-year grants given before Goosefoot’s charitable giving program was formalized in early 2017.

South Whidbey at Home, Whidbey Camano Land Trust, Whidbey Island Nourishes, and Whidbey Watershed Stewards all receive annual funding in their capacity as supported organizations of Goosefoot. As such, each group appoints two members to Goosefoot's board of directors to contribute valuable experience on how to best direct the organization’s philanthropy to fulfill its mission on South Whidbey.

2018 SUMMER FROLIC

It rained and then it rained some more, but then the clouds parted and the sun came out just in time for Sock Hoppers to gather Saturday, August 11th. The Heggenes Valley Boys, with a surprise visit from Elvis, had the guests rockin' and rollin' to toe-tapping tunes. Upper Left Catering grilled a delicious feast with help from the Organic Farm School, Deep Harvest Farm, and Foxtail Farm. In true '50's fashion, an ice cream sundae bar topped things off, made possible by Whidbey Island Ice Cream Co. Thanks to Jim Freeman, whose joyful auctioneering encouraged folks to raise their paddles high, to our local vendors who provided goods and services for the auctions, to Don Wodjenski for capturing the fun on pictures, and to Randy Hudson and Georgia Gerber who shared their home with us once again! WIN volunteers are gearing up for another school year of preparing and delivering nutritious meals to our South Whidbey youth. It is all made possible by our generous community.

Thank you!

A big THANK YOU to Whidbey Telecom! Community support is the heart of our program and we are so grateful to serve those in need with the continued help of friends like Whidbey Telecom.

2018 Heart to Heart

Many, many thanks!

WIN is ready to “Shine On into their next Decade!” because of the generosity of so many folks at this year’s Heart to Heart benefit. Des Rock opened the doors of Useless Bay Coffee Company to WIN for their annual event and served an “out of this world” 5-course meal that thrilled the lucky guests. Jim Freeman, Master of Fun, led live and silent auctions and kept everyone laughing and chatting as they generously gave to fill the pantry for the meals that WIN volunteers prepare and provide to the children on South Whidbey.

Unending thanks & deep appreciation goes out from the WIN Board, staff, and volunteers to our community that supports our efforts to provide nutritious meals to our children!

2017 SUMMER FROLIC

WIN’s Rootin’ Tootin’ Summer Frolic –
A Huge Success!

Our wonderful WIN supporters enjoyed an evening of “western” fun at the home of Georgia Gerber and Randy Hudson.

What a party! Feet were tapping and dancing to the great sound of Rusty Fender and the Melody Wranglers, while Josh and Shane of Upper Left Catering spoiled us with BBQ and all the delicious fixins’. Jim Freeman, our emcee extraordinaire, led an exciting auction filled with laughs and a heap o’donations to keep our pantry filled.

To make our event extra special this year, Whidbey’s Organic Farm School donated the veggies for our buffet, Knead Bread from the Bayview Farmers’ Market provided our bread, Blackberry Moon Produce showered us with organic fruit for our pies, and Aaron Racicot served his special home brewed beer. We were lucky to haveColin Sulgrove and Boelle Bonadonna. snapping photos of the excitement.

No doubt about it, our volunteers were rootin’ and tootin’ all week making pie, ice cream, and back porch lemonade. Many helpers pitched in with set-up and clean-up, too. It was an amazing team effort – we couldn’t have done it without every single set of hands!