Tapestry Farms generously invests in the lives of refugees who resettle in the Quad Cities.

Invest: We persistently work to eliminate barriers refugees experience to housing, education, medical and mental health care, work, food, transportation, community, and citizenship.

Grow: We reclaim underutilized land in Quad City neighborhoods experiencing food insecurity, growing culturally responsive food so that all in our community are abundantly fed.

Welcome: Our greatest hope is that building trusted connections will create a Quad City-wide welcoming infrastructure - a vibrant and thriving community for every single person, including refugees.

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Values

**Accompaniment:** We walk with refugees as they embark upon their new lives.
**Encouragement:** We recognize, respect, and celebrate the gifts of refugees.
**Resourcefulness:** We understand and engage the resources available to refugees.
**Humility:** We have a lot to learn about the culture and experiences of refugees.
**Hope:** We long for the day when resettled families find home once again.

**Mirian Avila, business intern**
Mirian Avila is a student at Black Hawk College, where she is completing her degree in business administration. She was born and raised in Rock Island. Mirian is fluent in English and Spanish; her family originates from Guanajuato, Mexico. In her free time, she enjoys arts and crafts.

**Rebecca Burke, community navigator - legal**
Becky, who has worked in human rights, special education, and inclusion, assists clients in accessing our immigration legal services. She has a master’s degree in international education and peace studies from Teachers College, Columbia University. After many years in New York City, Becky recently returned home to Iowa with her husband and three young children.

**Qamar Haddad, urban farm specialist**
Qamar is a high school student in Davenport. She loves hanging out with her friends and family and has learned English at lightning-fast speed. She loves school. Qamar is from Syria and is looking forward to a life in the United States.

**Fatima Hussein, urban farm specialist**
Fatima is a joyful presence wherever she goes. Originally from Syria, she now lives in Davenport with her husband and five children. She loves to host friends at her home, and is a great cook. She also makes some of the best coffee we’ve ever tasted.

**Maggie Jackson, administrative coordinator**
Maggie brings to Tapestry Farms her heart, her kindness and her ability to restore calm in the most chaotic of situations. She maintains our client and donor databases and provides support to all the team members. She lives in Bettendorf with her husband and is a proud mom of her grown son.

**Laura Lortz, community navigator - health**
Laura has spent 25 years working in social service settings, and focuses much of her work with Tapestry Farms on accessing medical/mental/dental health care. She has a master’s degree from St. Ambrose University. She lives in Bettendorf and is mom to three grown sons and two Australian Shepherds.

Jenner Kealey, community navigatorJenner is a persistent and joyful presence, walking alongside families as they work to reach their goals. Jenner is a wife and mom to two adult children. She lives in Davenport, where she tends her backyard garden a… — **Jenner Kealey, community navigator - new beginnings**
Jenner is a persistent and joyful presence, primarily working with families new to Tapestry Farms as they navigate creating a home for themselves and their children. Jenner is a wife and mom to two adult children. She lives in Davenport, where she tends her backyard garden and loves to scout out estate sales.

Sonja Kinser, community navigatorSonja was born and raised in the QC, hopped around the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest, and has settled once again in Davenport. Sonja leads our WIC access program, among other family connecting efforts. She is work… — **Sonja Kinser, hydroponics manager**
Sonja was born and raised in the QC, lived internationally, hopped around the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest, and has settled once again in Davenport. Sonja is the leader of our hydroponics container, growing leafy greens and root vegetables that are distributed throughout the community.

**Ann McGlynn, executive director**
Ann grew up on a small family farm in eastern Iowa. She spent more than 20 years as a journalist and communications director before founding Tapestry Farms in 2017. She has a masters in business administration from the University of Iowa, and lives in Davenport with her family. She is a partially accredited representative through the U.S. Department of Justice, providing basic immigration legal services to low-income immigrants.

**Fidele Muragara, Americorps VISTA**
Fidele is a student at St. Ambrose University, studying engineering. He is putting his field of study to work for Tapestry Farms, expanding our capacity to grow food in the community. Fidele and his family - his mom and six siblings - are from Democratic Republic of Congo and now live in Davenport.

**Alison Niebuhr, seasonal farm manager**
Alison has a lifelong passion for gardening, and believes every single person should have access to safe, affordable, and healthy food. She is married, and a proud mom to two boys. Alison earned a master’s degree at the University of Illinois in crop science, focused on horticulture and urban agriculture.

**Sabeeha Dalee Omar, urban farm specialist**
Sabeeha is a talented gardener who brings all of her knowledge to her work at Tapestry Farms. From Syria, Sabeeha lives in Bettendorf with her five children. She loves to cook and lights up when she knows a vegetable is just right for harvest.

**Kamari Sorensen, community navigator - nourishment**
Kamari is a graduate of Davenport Central High School and Eastern Gateway Community College with an associate’s degree in social work. She is the proud mom of two beautiful girls. Kamari leads our nourishment initiatives, ensuring families have access to programs such as WIC, SNAP, and our culturally responsive food pantry.

**Godelive Uwezo, urban farm specialist**
Godelive Uwezo is a student at Black Hawk College, working towards her goal of becoming a nurse. Godelive was born in Tanzania, and came to the United States in 2018. She and her family live in Moline, and she is a graduate of Rock Island High School.

Board of Directors

Hans Schnekloth, President
Schnekloth Farms, Inc.

Ann Garton, Vice President
St. Ambrose University

Destiny Glover, Treasurer
Deere & Co.

Parnian Amiri
Walmart

Wafa Alhajri
St. Ambrose University

Ewelina Bergert
Black Hawk College

Nikki Habben
Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa & Western Illinois

Sarah Rissler
St. Ambrose University

Mark Smith
Iowa Judicial District 7, retired

Tina Stubbs
Edward Jones

Miles Thompson
St. Paul Lutheran

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News from Tapestry Farms

Featured

Holiday Letter 2024: Take Heart, Goodness Remains

From the Democratic Republic of Congo to Syria, our nation—including the people of the Quad-Cities—has welcomed people who so desperately needed refuge from the life-threatening conditions in their home countries. The need is greater now than ever before as the United Nations estimates 2.9 million people will be in need of resettlement in 2025.

How Social Enterprise Cultivates Our Mission

At Tapestry Farms, we embrace a social enterprise model that combines the principles of social entrepreneurship with direct service to refugees in the Quad Cities. This approach allows us to not only provide essential support to families resettling in our community, but also to build a sustainable, community-driven organization that reinvests in both people and the land.

Family Literacy: Building community and language skills

This summer Tapestry Farms families are learning language skills and building community. Three times a week for six weeks, two dozen students—adults, teenagers, and children with five different languages between them—faithfully gather to study English in an encouraging, welcoming environment.

Quad City Farmers' Market: A dream come true

When you visit the QC Farmers’ Market this summer, you’ll find that Tapestry Farms is a proud vendor selling fresh produce grown locally in support of new members of the Quad Cities community.

Lights, Camera, and Leafy Greens

We are excited to share a special video with you that was released this week by Deere & Co. featuring the people and work of Tapestry Farms.

Teeter totters and sunshine: Celebrate our founder's 50th birthday

On a beautiful day in May, five kids from Syria and I hopped onto a giant teeter totter in Des Moines. The kids had just finished an appointment, and noticed a park across the street.

Spring Fling 2024: We surpassed our goal!

Gather together in joy and love - enjoy a casual evening of food, drinks, music, and a silent auction. A special guest will share a story of refuge in the Quad Cities.

The Power of Radical Hospitality: Dr. Diya Abdo Visits the Quad Cities

"Refugees are forced to seek safety elsewhere because home, forever soul-filled and memory-rich, is no longer safe. For refugees, exile is the solution to the problem of death."

American Refuge: The refugee experience and power of radical hospitality

Diya Abdo, founder of Every Campus a Refuge | Thursday, Feb. 22, 7 p.m. | Rogalski Center Ballroom, St. Ambrose University | Free and open to the public

Position posting: Ag & youth community navigator

We are hiring! Tapestry Farms seeks a year-round community navigator to lead our seasonal vegetable urban farm system and mentor refugee youth and young adults.