Working together to feed our island communities

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Submitted by the Orcas Community Resource Center Communications Team.

Island communities know that the best solutions happen when we work together. That spirit of collaboration was recognized this month as the Orcas Community Resource Center was awarded a $150,000 grant from the North Sound Accountable Community of Health to lead a regional Food Access initiative serving Orcas, Lopez and San Juan islands.

The project brings together the Orcas Community Resource Center, Joyce L. Sobel Family Resource Center and Lopez Island Family Resource Center to strengthen food security across all three islands. Through this partnership, Community Health workers will help residents access nutritious food while also connecting them to other essential supports, including SNAP and WIC enrollment, nutrition education, transportation and healthcare.

“A person might come in asking about food benefits, but the conversation rarely stops there,” said Erin O’Dell, executive director of the Orcas Community Resource Center. “They may also need help with transportation, or managing a new health diagnosis. This grant allows us to look at the whole picture and provide coordinated support.”

Food insecurity often isn’t obvious. It can be an older adult choosing between groceries and medication, a family stretching every dollar to feed growing children or someone newly diagnosed with a chronic illness who knows what foods they should be eating but simply can’t afford them.

Recently, an Orcas resident came to the Resource Center after being diagnosed with diabetes. Living on a limited income, they wanted to improve their health but were overwhelmed by rising grocery costs and the complexity of available benefit programs. Staff helped them enroll in nutrition assistance, connected them with local food resources and coordinated with health care providers to develop a realistic plan. Today, they are eating healthier, managing their condition with greater confidence and experiencing far less stress.

This new funding will allow resource centers across San Juan County to provide that same kind of personalized, relationship-based support to more island residents.

We are grateful to the North Sound ACH for investing in this collaborative effort and to the many partners, volunteers, donors and community members who make this work possible. Together, we are ensuring that more of our neighbors have reliable access to healthy food while building stronger, healthier and more connected island communities.