Lopez Island Food Center Breaks Ground With $1M Cantwell-Supported Federal Investment

Lopez Island Food Center Breaks Ground With $1M Cantwell-Supported Federal Investment

The 6,000-square-foot facility will help local farmers connect directly with food-insecure families & workers, & provide needed infrastructure; Cantwell & Larsen helped secure a $1 million federal grant for the project

EDMONDS, WA - Yesterday, leaders in the San Juan Islands celebrated the groundbreaking of the Lopez Food Center, a 6,000-square-foot facility that once completed will house a food share, job training, storage space and farm stands for local farmers, a commercial kitchen, and more.

The project was funded in part by a $1 million federal grant secured by U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (D, WA-02) through an FY2026 Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) request.

"Too many families on Lopez Island struggle with food insecurity while San Juan County farms need access to markets, employees, and infrastructure which are all harder to find on the islands than on the mainland. This 6,000-square-foot community space will connect families in need, local farmers, and community organizations and create new opportunities for workers and businesses," Sen. Cantwell said. "The Lopez Food Center is exactly the kind of grassroots solution we should be investing in, and that's why Congressman Larsen and I worked to secure $1 million in federal funds toward this groundbreaking."

The project will construct a multi-use building in the "main square" of the island focused on two issues: fighting high levels of food insecurity, which impacts approximately 40% of Lopez Island residents, and increasing economic development opportunities for island farms and restauranters.

Once completed, the center will provide a safe and accessible home for the Lopez Food Share, a food share that currently serves 1,123 low-income adults and children each month. The new space will double the number of people who can be served and allow the food share to create a hot meal program and expand its prepared food offerings.

The center will also provide a space for business development and job training to help tackle the labor shortage that limits the growth of the local food economy in San Juan County, an issue compounded by a shortage of affordable housing. The Lopez Food Center will also provide business incubation spaces for local entrepreneurs, pop-up restaurants, and a commercial kitchen.