In recent surveys, Willy Street Co-op Owners have told us that they want us to prioritize addressing community hunger issues. Here are a few ways we’re currently doing that and how you can participate or help; we’re working on more as well! Here is a list of general Dane County food assistance resources.
“Pack the Pantry” bags
Earlier this year we worked with the River Food Pantry to make pre-shopped bags full of staple products that Willy North customers could buy and donate. Three-hundred and forty-five bags were purchased, helping to stock the River’s shelves. We decided to expand this to Willy East and Willy West (starting on 11/5) as well for the month of November!
Bags purchased at Willy East will go to Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center and Goodman Community Center’s Fritz Food Pantry. Willy West’s bags will go to Lussier Community Education Center and WayForward Resources. Bags purchased at Willy North will again go to the River Food Pantry.
How you can help support this program: Purchase a bag if you’re able! We have one with $14.99 worth of kid-friendly products and one with $19.95 worth of products for the whole family.
Double Dollars
Double Dollars help customers using FoodShare/QUEST cards (SNAP) to get extra fruits and vegetables for free.
For more information, see our Double Dollars page at willystreet.coop/double-dollars.
How you can utilize this program: Every Tuesday October 21, 2025 through March 3, 2026, any shopper using their FoodShare/QUEST card to purchase groceries will be eligible to receive up to $20 worth of Double Dollars vouchers. These vouchers help purchase fresh, canned and frozen produce, and seeds and seedlings for growing edible plants.
For every $5 you spent using FoodShare/QUEST for any FoodShare/QUEST eligible items, the Co-op will give you 1 $5 Double Dollar voucher, up to $20. The vouchers can be used at any Willy Street Co-op retail location on any day October 2025 through May 2026 (as funds allow the program to continue). Customers do not need to be Co-op Owners to receive or use these vouchers!
11/7/25 UPDATE: We were relieved to see that SNAP funds were distributed last night to Wisconsin residents with FoodShare/QUEST cards. Due to remaining uncertainty about SNAP funding in the immediate future, we are temporarily increasing the maximum amount of Double Dollars earnable on the Tuesday, November 11 distribution. On that day, customers using FoodShare/QUEST cards will receive one extra Double Dollar for each $5 spent on the card, for a maximum of $40 in vouchers received. (This is what we did on the 10/28 and 11/4 distributions as well.) We expect to return to the usual distribution plan on Tuesday, November 18, but will continue to monitor the situation.
How you can help support this program: you can donate to Double Dollars by using a $1, $5, $10, or $25 scan card at the register (including at self-checkout) or asking a cashier, or just by reusing your shopping bags! For each paper bag we don’t need to use at checkout because you have a reusable bag, we’ll donate 10¢ to the Double Dollars Fund. Plus, when you donate in November and December, we’ll match donations up to $15,000 and give the matched funds to our food pantry partners.
Food Pantry Shelves
Near the front of each store we have shelves dedicated to collecting donations for our local food pantry partners. Last year, nearly 64,500 pounds of food was collected!
How you can help this program: Customers are welcome to bring in unopened products that haven’t reached their expiration date, no matter where they purchased them, and leave them on the shelves—our food pantry partners pick up the donations weekly. Our food pantry partners also report that they could use volunteers to help distribute and organize the donations; if you’re interested, please check out their websites to see their current needs:
- Goodman Community Center’s Fritz Food Pantry
- Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center
- Lussier Community Education Center
- WayForward Resources
- River Food Pantry
Access Program
The Access Program is designed to make Co-op Ownership and our products more accessible to those experiencing financial hardship.
How you can utilize this program: Willy Street Co-op Owners who have a financial need can apply for the Access Program and:
- Shop at the Co-op with a 10% discount.
- Receive one coupon for each person on your account for a free class every year.
- Receive one free tote bag for each person on your account to carry home your groceries.
For those who aren’t Owners, they can join for a lower equity payment: $4 for individuals and $7 for households. Owners participating in our Access program receive extra sales, discounts, and perks like all Owners do.
To apply for the Access Program, you can talk with staff at the Customer Service desk. Learn more at willystreet.coop/access.
How you can help support this program: Let others know about this program if you think they may qualify and be interested!
Your Co-op also sponsors food pantry programs like Goodman’s Thanksgiving Basket Drive and River Food Pantry’s Munch Mobile Meals program. In November and December we’re collecting some non-food product donations at our stores as well: Middleton Keeping Neighbors Warm Campaign, Madison Street Medicine, and Santas without Chimneys. For more information about these, see Customer Experience Manager Kristina Kuhaupt’s November newsletter article.
