For Such a Time as This
Dear friends,
One of the most important things I do most days is take a walk. The weather last week was exceptionally beautiful for evening strolls—my five-mile journey along the Duck Creek bike path gave me the chance to take in some sunshine, catch up with people important to me, and listen to a book.
My book these days is How We Learn to Be Brave by Mariann Edgar Budde. It's a mesmerizing work, the author's voice reading along as I make my way under bridges, the sound of water gurgling against rocks on the creek bed.
A favorite excerpt so far is this: "The courage to be brave when it matters most requires a lifetime of small decisions that set us on a path of self-awareness, attentiveness, and willingness to risk failure for what we believe is right."
I've often said that the creation of Tapestry Farms was the result of a lifetime of experiences and understandings, from growing up on my family's small farm, to writing stories as a journalist, to forming an understanding of welcoming the stranger, and to accomplishing the unlikely—this word person earning a master's degree in business administration.
Earlier this month, we learned of a second federal program cancellation that affects Tapestry Farms. The Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement gave us the opportunity to deliver, at no charge, the veggies we grew with colleagues and volunteers to 10 food pantries in our community. We were then compensated for our work by this federally funded initiative that rallied small farmers to feed the hungry of their own communities with nutrient-dense, locally grown, fresh food. It is no longer.
This comes on top of the pause of the 45-year-old refugee resettlement program, which brought 670 refugees seeking safety to the Quad-Cities last fiscal year. While it has been called a pause, all resettlement contracts are now cancelled and funding ceased. In addition, the government has now paused processing green card applications for refugees. We’re witnessing the dismantling of this longstanding bi-partisan effort in real time.
The photos above and below are ones that I took at our first delivery for the local foods program on July 18, 2023. We pushed the cart inside and stacked two tables with cucumbers, cabbages, green peppers, zucchini, and green beans at the Friendly House food pantry, which is open five days a week in Davenport. We thought it might last for the rest of the week. It was gone by the end of the day.
On Thursday evening, I reached chapter five of How We Learn to Be Brave. The chapter started with an ancient text that I love—a reminder of purpose "for such a time as this."
Yes, this is a challenging time. But Tapestry Farms is built for such a time as this. We couldn't help but be really happy when a Syrian sixth-grader with disabilities started school last week with an entire team of people behind him. We are so thankful as a crew of volunteer drivers ensures a four-year-old from Congo has the opportunity to be a student at one of our favorite preschools. And we loved to see all of our customers who came to pick up their monthly produce subscription a week ago, telling us all about how much they enjoyed trying out new recipes suggested by our staff.
As we weather this era and adapt to what comes, three truths remain: we will walk alongside refugees as they find home again, we will grow food in community to feed our community, and we will continue to be so very thankful for you and your support.
With gratitude,
Ann McGlynn, executive director