The Quad Cities Community Foundation has awarded its $300,000 Transformative Grant — the largest single grant award it funds each year — to Tapestry Farms.
Tapestry Farms is a nonprofit urban farm system that invests in the lives of refugees who resettle in the Quad Cities.
The three-year grant, which was announced today, Jan. 10, will ensure that Tapestry Farms’ mission can sustainably grow as it deals with the challenges of food insecurity and supporting refugee families who make the Quad Cities region a thriving community.
“The Transformation Grant is designed for organizations that are ready to take a big step forward in their work,” Sue Hafkemeyer, the Community Foundation’s president and CEO, said in a news release. “Tapestry Farms is driven by compassion, creativity, and boundless community spirit. They are making the Quad Cities a more beautiful and equitable place, and we can’t wait to see what they do next.”
Ann McGlynn, founder and executive director of Tapestry Farms said in an email to the QCBJ, “This investment will be used to continue to grow our farm, with a goal of getting to 25,000 pounds of produce grown by the end of the three years. This includes staffing for our hydroponics and seasonal farm operations, including refugees.”
She added: “It also includes support for new initiatives and needed equipment, such as shelving for our refrigerated van and launching our monthly produce subscription service. Our goal is that we will be able to increase our farm revenue so that it will be self-sustaining for years to come.”
Transformation Grants are funded each year through donor contributions to the Quad Cities Community Impact Fund.
Growing Tapestry’s reach
Over the next three years, the grant will enable Tapestry Farms to nearly triple the pounds of food grown and more than double the families served by their culturally specific food pantry. Additionally, the organization will move into a new, larger operational space, retain full-time staff, and explore new resources for refugees.
Planned programming includes community English language classes, navigation of legal services, and courses to encourage neighbors to grow food in their own backyard, according to information from the Quad Cities Community Foundation.
Ms. McGlynn told the QCBJ that Tapestry’s move into a larger space is now in progress.
“Last spring and summer, we began talking with the good people at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral (121 W. 12th St.) in central Davenport. After touring the space they had available, it became abundantly clear that this could be a very good home for us,” she said.
“The reasons for this are many, but most important is the welcoming spirit of the congregation. Moving is hard, but we are just so grateful for this opportunity. It feels like it was built just for us. We plan to hold an open house in a few months.”
Founded in 2017, Tapestry Farms provides a robust welcome to refugees, connecting them with nutritious and culturally appropriate food, individual support, employment, and other vital resources. To date, Tapestry Farms has served about 500 people in more than 100 families. It provides what is known as a “long welcome” because Tapestry’s support ensures new families continue to thrive as they begin their new lives and enrich the entire Quad Cities community.
Finding home again
“We imagine a Quad Cities where any refugee or immigrant can find home again, access the services they need, and grow or access the nutritious food that’s foundational to health and full community engagement,” Ms. McGlynn said. “We’re not always perfect, but we always learn and listen. We walk with the families we serve, and we learn from our partnering organization — that spirit of collaboration is how we’re going to continue to grow.”
That growth mission extends beyond the garden. Tapestry Farms works and advocates to create strong “welcoming infrastructure” for all people, including refugees. This promotes civic engagement, opens doors to immigrants participating in the local economy, creates educational opportunities for the community, and makes the region safer for all residents.
The Tapestry Farms organization employs refugees as farm specialists. They, along with over 300 volunteers, use regenerative farming techniques to grow culturally specific food and flowers.
“Tapestry Farms has created a unique and multifaceted approach that meets the needs of a vulnerable population and improves the lives of everyone who lives in our community,” said Kelly Thompson, vice president of grantmaking and community initiatives at the Quad Cities Community Foundation. “Their mission represents a united and hopeful vision for the Quad Cities. Together with our board and donors, we are proud to be a dedicated partner in that work.”
Since 1964, the Quad Cities Community Foundation has championed the causes and
organizations that benefit the entire community.
By the numbers
Here are more facts about Quad Cities Community Foundation grants and Tapestry Farms:
- In its 10-year history, the Community Foundation’s Transformation Grants have invested more than $2 million in local nonprofit organizations.
- The UN Refugee Agency estimates that more than 2.9 million refugees worldwide will need resettlement in 2025.
- Based on the 2020 census, without the individuals and families who join the community through international immigration, the Quad Cities population would be shrinking.
- Feeding America data reports that 18,910 Rock Island County residents, or 13.2%, qualify as food insecure, with an annual food budget shortfall of more than $14 million.
- Tapestry Farms now operates a state-of-the-art Freight Farms hydroponics operation in the parking lot of the Quad City Botanical Center. The 320-square-foot refurbished shipping container grows mostly lettuces, leafy greens, and root vegetables year-round.
- The majority of families served by Tapestry Farms come from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Syria, Afghanistan, and Haiti.
- Last year, Tapestry Farms grew 200 Intoryi plants. The eggplant-like vegetable was purchased from a farmer originally from Burundi — it is an example of the culturally specific food that the farm makes available.
