Our COVID-19 response
Dear friends of Tapestry Farms,
We hope this finds you and your loved ones healthy and safe.
As you know, Tapestry Farms walks alongside refugee families in Scott and Rock Island counties. As a result of the pandemic, we are now focused on three areas - access to nourishing and culturally specific food, housing stability, and obtaining necessary medical care.
Tapestry Farms has expanded to serving nine refugee families. They live in Rock Island and Davenport, and include 14 adults and 41 children. Three of our families have adults who are considered at higher-risk in this pandemic. Many of our families are led by single parents with little to no family in the area or country, so it is vitally important that they remain healthy as well.
What are we doing? We continue our model of connecting families with resources already available in our community. We diligently follow social distancing rules while we:
Deliver breakfast and lunch distributed by Rock Island and Davenport schools - feeding three dozen children each week.
Partner with Madison Market/Riverbend Food Bank and World Relief to deliver boxes of food three times a month.
Shop for and deliver monthly WIC food.
Shop for and deliver culturally specific and fresh food to high-risk adults.
Provide transportation to necessary medical appointments.
Track and reschedule canceled appointments for a variety of services.
Send out COVID-19 related health videos and materials in Pashto, Swahili, and Somali. These videos and materials are produced by a refugee coalition in Des Moines.
Apply for unemployment for clients who have lost/anticipate losing their jobs.
Serve as an intermediary between employers and clients who are working essential jobs in the food industry.
Ensure rent and utilities for all families are paid on time, covering the gap if a family cannot afford their housing payment.
Navigate benefits changes.
Attempt to connect students to educational and social opportunities remotely through their school districts and other organizations.
Tend to emergency needs.
We do hope our gardening plans will take root, at least in some degree, this year. Seedlings growing in my basement are a testament to that hope. However, our plans for the continued development of our sewing and coffee roasting enterprises are on hold for now.
We are deeply thankful for all of the support that our donors and volunteers are showing in this challenging time. We remain committed to the families we walk alongside, and look forward to the day when we can all live freely once again.
Gratefully,
Ann McGlynn, executive director
P.S. The Quad Cities Disaster Recovery Fund is rapidly deploying resources to community-based organizations that are supporting people in our community most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This fund makes grants to nonprofits that are working on the frontlines to provide our region's most vulnerable communities with emergency assistance, such as food, financial support, healthcare, and childcare. Give now to support this effort.