What is the price of eggs at the Food Bank? 

Eggs are always available at the Food Bank

||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND FOOD BANK COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE |||

According to the USDA, the national average price of a dozen large eggs was $8.15 on March 4, 2025, up from an average $4.95 per dozen in the month of January, largely because of the loss of millions of hens to avian flu. At the Orcas Island Food Bank, however, egg prices have not risen. In fact, like all other products at the Food Bank, eggs are free. Equally important, barring a supply chain disruption, they are always available.

Eggs are among the products that our customers can rely on. Others that we consistently keep on the shelves and in the refrigerators and freezers are milks, bread, protein (such as vegan protein, chicken, fish, beef, nuts, and oats), and fresh produce (such as broccoli, lettuce, carrots, beets, potatoes, onions, bananas, apples, oranges, and pears).

Through surveys and conversations, our customers have told us that fresh produce is their number-one priority. That squares with our motto, “Eat healthy and thrive.” Accordingly, we ensure that fresh
produce is available all year — as much as possible from farms on Orcas, in the rest of San Juan
County, and in the Skagit Valley.

More than one out of three qualifying (by income) Orcas Island residents rely on the Food Bank. In 2024, 1,082 islanders—34% of our qualifying population of 3,160—were registered for food assistance at OIFB. We distributed 362,000 pounds of food to 592 households. 

Many of our customers have told us that without the Food Bank, they would be unable to continue living here. One customer wrote, “When we visit the Food Bank, we know almost everyone who walks in the door. We realized that the food bank is supporting the majority of our working-class community, our friends, our co-workers, our people. This changed our mind from the stigmas of shame to the feeling of pride and the realization that what the Orcas Food Bank is providing is an opportunity to help our community thrive on this island.”

We said that eggs and all other food at OIFB is free. That’s true — it’s free to our customers. But we have to pay for it. Much of it in previous years was paid through grants, which we diligently locate and apply for. But many pandemic-related grants have either ended or are about to end.

In 2024, grants paid for all but about $30,000 worth of the food we distributed. This year, however, with grants drying up and the cost of food going up, the Food Bank will have to pay about $375,000 for food. To keep our doors open and our shelves stocked, we rely on our individual donors more than ever. Along with our 40 volunteers, our donors make it possible to carry out our mission as we work toward achieving our vision. 

Our Mission: We nourish current and future generations of our community through food access, education, and advocacy. 

Our Vision: The entire Orcas Island community sees food access as essential, and we support one another in guaranteeing healthy food for all.