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

Dear friends,

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. The sun was shining, it was about 70 degrees, and there was barely a breeze - our time was a whimsical 30-minute escape.

This month, I turn 50 years old. To celebrate, I’m asking the friends of Tapestry Farms to donate $50 towards our work. I’ll share more about that in a bit. First, a lot is happening these days at Tapestry Farms. I thought you might like a few updates.

Farming

Seasonal Farm - More than 200 volunteers came and helped prepare our nine plots and then get the crops in the ground this spring. It’s one of our most favorite times of the year - when seeds and baby plants go into the ground with hopes of becoming food in time. Our sites are tended by colleagues Fatima Hussein, Qamar Haddad, and Alison Niebuhr, our new farm manager. Staff and volunteers are spending a lot of time watering these days of heat and little rain, so it’s really gratifying to start to see crops ready for harvest. Reach out to me if you’d like to water this summer - we would love to have you.

Hydroponics - Growing in our new hydroponics container is well underway. Delivered at the beginning of December, it is now brimming with lettuces, Swiss chard, and root vegetables. This high-tech piece of equipment is located in the parking lot of the QC Botanical Center, which happens to have some of the kindest and most wonderful people on staff. Sonja Kinser, our hydroponics manager, and colleague Godelive Uwezo spend their days planting, transplanting, harvesting in the 320-square-foot refurbished shipping container.

Farmers market - We are so happy to be a part of the QC Farmers’ Market at Schwiebert Park in Rock Island on Saturday mornings, 8 a.m.-12 noon. This 100 percent local market is a supportive community of growers and creators. Stop down and see us sometime! We have hydroponics produce available all of the time, and seasonal produce as well.

Caring

Our social services crew are hard at work connecting families to resources. Historically, we have mostly served people coming from east and central Africa, countries such as Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi. But starting with the fall of Afghanistan, we now have families coming from additional regions of the world, countries such as Afghanistan, Haiti, Guatemala, and Syria. We anticipate that we will reach 100 families served this year.

The care and attention our staff gives to refugee families in our community is a sight to behold, and I am abundantly thankful for them.

A big week

The week of June 20 is a big week of celebrations and commemorations. 

On June 20, we mark World Refugee Day. We don’t use the word celebrate - we hope for a day when no one is forced from their home to seek safety. On June 21, we begin our eighth year of work. That is the day, in 2017, when we filed the paperwork with the state of Iowa to become official. 

And then, on June 26, I turn 50 years old. My calendar that day includes giving some of my elementary school teachers from Welton, Iowa, a tour of our hydroponics container. Then, I get to take a couple of kids to summer English classes at McKinley Elementary in Davenport, and I’m sure my family and friends will bring me cake to celebrate that night.

I would love it if you would consider a gift of $50 to Tapestry Farms to celebrate.

Our hope at Tapestry Farms is that the people we serve will find peace so that they can build a good life - and have more days with sunshine, joy, and magically appearing teeter totters. Thank you for being a part of that hope.

Gratefully,

Ann McGlynn, executive director.

ann@tapestryfarms.org