Life, Light, and Hope for Ukraine

With the resurgence of tulip time tourists, the Mount Vernon Downtown Association invited downtown businesses to participate in a spring window contest—a colorful, creative way to welcome spring and visitors back to the Valley in the month of April. The Co-op used the opportunity to showcase local art and support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

Co-op Graphic Designer Megan Feichtinger and Jessica Salazar of Vida + Luz collaborated to create a display of Life, Light, & Hope for Ukraine. It was a very Skagit scene: April showers, paper flowers, ice cream clouds, and sun catchers from Vida + Luz.

Vida + Luz sun catchers are made by local women artisans using hand cut and hand textured brass and vintage faceted crystals. They scatter

light to cast a dazzling dance of tiny rainbows on every surface they touch—glimmers of hope. By refracting and spreading light, the idea was that people could purchase sun catchers as a meaningful way to send life, light, and hope to Ukrainians in their quest for freedom and peace.

The Co-op and Vida + Luz donated $10 for every sun catcher sold to COOP Ukraine. In the end, we sold 28 sun catchers for a donation total of $280. And while $280 is not a huge number, it does make a difference and is just one more example of how shopping at the Co-op supports local art and makers while also making a drop in the bucket contribution to important causes in our community and beyond.