Co-op Seeks 5% Friday Applications for 2026

One of our most exciting ways to support the community is through 5% Friday! You shop and together we give 5% of Co-op sales one Friday a month to a non-profit, charitable community organization.And just think—each of these organizations is, itself, supporting the community! What a great circle of giving.

2024 marked the 20th year of the Co-op’s 4% Friday Community Shopping Day, and at the end of the year, our all-time giving total reached over $550,000! That’s hundreds of organizations supported and thousands of lives impacted, just because you decided to shop on 4% Friday.

And in 2025, we upped the ante! The Skagit Valley Food Co-op Board approved a generous increase to this already-flourishing giving program: from 4% to 5% of sales being donated to one group each month. We are only halfway through the year, but 5% Friday Community Giving Day has already resulted in some big, big checks and happy humans. Our accompanying $5 Community Meals are an exciting addition to the circle of giving, with meal proceeds also being donated to 5% Friday groups.

Now that it’s July, the Board of Trustees is accepting non-sectarian, nonpartisan charitable applicants for the Co-op’s 5% Friday Community Giving Day Program in 2026. Groups chosen, one per month for the calendar year, receive 5% of the day’s gross receipts at the Co-op. These community groups are selected for their service to the community in the following areas: local community service, organic food, natural health, environmentally friendly and sustainable agricultural practices, human rights, environmental preservation, and other areas that reflect “like-minded” mission statements.

Applications are due by September 30 and can be downloaded from our website: skagitfoodcoop.com/apply-for-5-friday

Once all applications are received, a small selection committee meets in October to select the new 5% Friday recipients. All groups will be notified of their application status by November. The selected 2026 groups will be announced to the public in January.