VERY picky about what donations they'll accept so everything decent quality. Not a huge selection…read moresince they are so picky. All monies support sji fire department so good cause.

It's hard to find good thrift stores in island communities. So it's always a surprise to find…read moresomething like this. And it supports the community. I'm not sure if the service providers are volunteers, but it has that vibe of kindness from the people working there. One of the senior customers had trouble paying with a credit card and the friendly staff has the patience to teach the person how to use the machine etc. It was really nice to see the support of patient education that supports autonomy.

i don't know if many of you know but the horrendous canadian seal hunt is back on...most people…read morethink it is something that stopped years ago. in 2005, more than 317,000 seals killed for their fur -- 98% of whom were babies under three months of age -- Canada's harp seal hunt is the largest (and cruelest) commercial hunt of marine mammals on earth. Sea Shepherd is one of the only organizations that is actively doing something about it. Captain Paul Watson is a total bad ass and goes to Canada on his ship and tries to save as many seals as possible. Anyway, if you are hardcore, you can actually go along with him. If you are less hardcore, you can volunteer in the offices or DONATE! they need money to do this important work. anyway...i just can't believe this still goes on...insane. from http://seashepherd.org/: The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society was founded in 1977 in Vancouver BC by Captain Paul Watson. The mandate of the organization was marine mammal protection and conservation with an immediate goal of shutting down illegal whaling and sealing operations. With financial support from Cleveland Amory of the Fund for Animals, the society's first ship a North Atlantic sea trawler "the Westella" was purchased in Hull, England (UK) and renamed the Sea Shepherd. It's first mission was to the ice floes of eastern Canada to interfere with the annual killing of baby harp seals known as whitecoats. In the same year, 1979, the Sea Shepherd hunted down and rammed the notorious pirate whaler the Sierra in a Portugal harbor ending its infamous career as the scourge of the seas. The success of the seal campaign and the ramming of the Sierra was the start of Sea Shepherd's historical 160 voyages over the next 2 decades, enforcing international laws where no law enforcement existed - on the high seas. Sea Shepherd continues to accomplish its mission by upholding and enforcing international treaties, laws and conventions of world governments. Sea Shepherd is committed to the eradication of pirate whaling, poaching, shark finning, unlawful habitat destruction, and violations of established laws in the World's oceans. To that end, Sea Shepherd assists national and international bodies in the enforcement of international law under authority of the United Nations World Charter for Nature.

This is a very effective and dedicated conservation organization with highly knowledgeable staff…read more The integrity of its leadership and the strong support of its board members makes it one of the top wildlife preservation groups. Its direct action has saved countless lives of not only great whales, but also of the minute creatures that populate the seas and sustain life on our planet.

Such a unique thrift store…read more The Exchange is located on Orcas Island. It's not far from the ferry drop off, and an easy pitstop when your driving towards East Sound. This warehouse is filled with two-stories of second-hand goodies from the island. You'll find a large selection of kitchen gear, board games, winter items, and lightly-used treasures. They've done a great job separating each of the spaces, making individualized rooms and isles to showcase different categories of goods. There's a large space upstairs for all their outdoor and sports gear. I even saw a number of skis, boots, poles, and jackets that instantly caught my attention! The team here is incredibly kind and will help you hunt through their many isles for the perfect find.

Very helpful staff. Pricing is on the wall and is determined at the counter. Very cool concept! Non…read moreprofit up cycling facility!

With so many environmental issues to deal with, sometimes they pick a political one. When they…read morestick to stewardship, and away from zoning and density issues all is well.

You can email what you need printed ahead of time and they have it ready for you to pick up when…read moreyou arrive!

Wonderful local on-island more-than-just-printing business. They print larger sizes as well as…read moreregular. Local family owned, not a chain. They also sell all sorts of stationary and you can rent a work area for when you can't take your home office anymore. When you go there you bump into people you know and you make new friends with people you don't yet know. Very compliant observance of indoor COVID protocols so I think you can feel very comfortable going in person.

- OMG it's like haven for cat lovers! -…read more It's like 1 min walk from Island Hoppin' Brewery, and that's the reason why I went there. I don't drink much, so I'd rather go to a shelter to see animals XD! The front lady was nice and she didn't push us to adopt anything. There was an obese cat that's been separated from the other cats because he's on a special diet. He was friendly. I then went in two other rooms, each with about 7 cats. The cats there were really friendly, but some are shy. I spent like 20 minutes there patting the cats.. lol. The cats there have a nice outside patio area where they can walk around as well. The adoption fee is also lower than most places if I remember correctly. My friend donated some $$ to thank them for taking good care of the cats. I probably won't come back to this island again since there's not much to do, but if I go there again I'd stop by this place and pat the cats once more~

From the owner: The mission of Orcas Animal Protection Society is to promote the humane care of animals by…read moreoperating an animal shelter, educating the public about responsible pet care, facilitating the adoption of unwanted dogs and cats into loving homes, and providing spay/neuter services to reduce the number of homeless dogs and cats.

A gorgeous washington gem :)…read more It's easy to spend a day exploring here - beaches? Foresty hikes? An amazing bridge? You got it. An adventurer's paradise! About an hour and half from Seattle so it's doable as a day trip!

Mother nature mixed with the military…read more Beautiful state park (don't forget your Discover Pass) on the north end of Whidbey Island. Great beaches for long walks and family outings. The far south end is particularly great for finding sea glass. Be sure to bring ear plugs with you when you are at the south border of the beach. This is where you will meet up with one of the runways of the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, home of the EA-18G Growler electronic attack squadrons. The noise pollution has been part of many lawsuits for years. The Navy has rejected a proposal to move its Growler electronic attack squadrons to a base in Southern California., so the noise issue isn't going away any time soon. If you have ear plugs, it's actually quite a sight to see the growlers take off.

When you need free stuff, clothes, household goods, kids toys, baby things, this is the place…read more They give you a bag to fill with clothes and/or choose up to 5 large household items. They also hand out some food and toiletries once a month. Just get in line and you get the necessities. The Boutique is also a treasure for more quality items. Priced very reasonable.

From the owner: The Garage of Blessings is the only free thift store in Island County. Our mission is to bless the…read morecommunity with much needed items including a food pantry on Mondays