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Store Hours: 8 am-9 pm, Daily
Closed: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day
Carbondale
Chamber of Commerce
2024
Business of the Year!
🦃🥧🍂 Turkeys are here! November is Owner Appreciation Month! 🦃🥧🍂
Community
Help build your community
The Co-op holds all kinds of charitable events throughout the year. Big or small, local or national, we feel it is important to support organizations that match values of community, health, sustainability, and the environment.
Locally, we support smaller organizations that have a regional impact through our Wooden Nickels program. Shoppers receive a Wooden Nickel for every bag-able purchase when they bring their own bag to take it home in. They can then donate that Wooden Nickel to one of two nonprofits. These nonprofits are chosen quarterly from suggestions made by staff, customers, owners, and community members.
To apply for our Wooden Nickel program please fill out our Wooden Nickel Application Form.
Other community donations: If you would like support for an event you have coming up, please let us know. Our resources are limited, but we will provide what we can. Fill out our online Donation Request Form.
Our Donations Policy
Organizations must be a registered 501(c)3 Not-for-Profit; must be nonpartisan (not affiliated with or promoting any political issue, party, or candidate); cannot discriminate on the basis of race, creed, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, or physical disability; should benefit Southern Illinois communities and their citizens; are fundraising for programs that are not intended to advance a particular religious belief; and are fundraising for programs that meet all of the above criteria.
For any purchase requiring a bag, when you bring your own reusable bag, you will receive a wooden nickel per transaction to donate to one of two regional charities that change each quarter. You decide which organization to donate to. (Wooden Nickel donations are capped at $250 per organization. However, all cash donations will be given to the organization in addition to the Wooden Nickel contribution.)
4th Quarter Recipients: October - December 2026
Wooden Nickels
Carbondale Laundry Project
The sole purpose of the Carbondale Laundry Project is to sponsor a Free Laundry Day every month, on the second Wednesday at Laundry World in Carbondale. A Free Laundry Day is just what it sounds like: We invite people to come if they need financial assistance in doing their laundry. We provide quarters for the washers and dryers, and laundry supplies such as detergent, bleach and dryer sheets.
We started the Laundry Project in November of 2019. With a one-year break due to the pandemic, we have sponsored 27 Free Laundry Days since we launched. In that time, we’ve provided nearly 2,000 loads of laundry free of charge. We’ve spent over $7,000 in quarters ($450-500 per month), and have served over 800 people (many repeat customers, but always new people).
This project goes beyond giving something to people in need. We make connections and built community, by working together to accomplish the task of laundry. We also have connected people to other resources, such as housing assistance.
Shae's Strays
Shae’s Strays is a foster-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving Southern Illinois by providing temporary emergency foster care for the pets of domestic violence survivors, individuals experiencing homelessness, and families in crisis so they never have to choose between their safety and their beloved pets. We also help save at-risk shelter animals by placing them in loving foster homes while they wait for permanent families.
Although we are a newer organization, our goal is to fill a critical gap in our community by keeping pets and people together during life’s most difficult moments. Through partnerships with volunteers, foster families, veterinarians, and local organizations, we provide safe shelter, food, medical care, and compassionate support.
Our vision is to grow into a dedicated emergency pet shelter that serves Southern Illinois, offering a safe haven for pets during times of crisis while expanding our lifesaving foster network and community outreach. Every donation directly helps provide food, medical care, and shelter for animals in need while giving families hope when they need it most.