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

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

Grow: We raise food throughout the Quad-Cities, growing nutrient-dense produce 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 experiences of refugees.
**Hope:** We long for the day when resettled families find home once again.

**Laura Beason, 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.

**Rebecca Burke, immigration legal services**
Becky 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 has returned home to Iowa with her husband and three young children.

**Todd Byerly, special projects**
Todd can build or fix just about anything, and we are so thankful he does all of that for Tapestry Farms. Todd leads Empower Tanzania, focused on education, health, economic empowerment, and the environment. Todd and his wife, Lori, live in Davenport, and are active in the lives of refugee families in the Quad-Cities.

**Shireen Gamaleldin, urban farm specialist**
Shireen lives in Davenport with her grandmother, parents, and three siblings. Shireen, who is from Sudan, is a student at Scott Community College, and hopes to someday be a flight attendant.

**Eamon Garton, farm intern**
Eamon is a rising senior at Cornell College studying Environmental Science and Geology. In his free time he enjoys running and reading. He believes in providing accessible, healthy foods to his community.

**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.

**Maya Jalukar, legal services intern**
Maya is a law student at the University of Iowa College of Law. She has worked in immigration law and handled asylum cases for underrepresented groups. Originally from Mason City, she lives in Iowa City. Maya is the proud daughter of immigrant parents.

**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, 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.

**Aastha Kharel, health intern**
Aastha is an international student from Nepal and a rising senior at Augustana College, double majoring in Public Health and Psychology. She is passionate about working alongside others with humility and hope, and is committed to helping build a more inclusive and welcoming Quad Cities community.

**Leslie Klipsch, director of community engagement**
Leslie is dedicated to uplifting others and working toward a safer, more peaceful world. With leadership experience in communications, development, and marketing at international and community-led nonprofits, she is passionate about harnessing the power of social enterprise to create lasting change. Born in a small Iowa farming community, she now lives in the Quad Cities with her husband and children.

**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.

**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, 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.

**Angelica Houtekier-Schnerre, farm intern**
Angelica is pursuing a degree in agribusiness and ag production. She is a proud girl mom and the oldest of six children. She experienced a multicultural upbringing, which has fueled her curiosity to understand that in every situation or circumstance, there are a variety of perspectives and viewpoints.

**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 food pantry.

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
Riverbend Foodbank

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

See you at the market!

Each week, our team packs up our refrigerated van and pulls into downtown Rock Island (Saturdays) and Bettendorf (Tuesdays and Thursdays) with produce grown across our urban farm system.

GIFT Gardens Invites Gardeners to Grow Food, Fight Hunger

The taste of a fresh cucumber, the joy of picking a tomato, the fun of watching a cabbage form—gardeners across the Quad Cities are invited to experience these moments AND make a difference.

Spring Fling | A Benefit for Tapestry Farms

Gather with us in love and hope to celebrate the beginning of the growing season with food, drinks, music, a silent auction, and a special guest speaker all in support of our refugee neighbors.

Quad Cities Community Foundation awards $300,000 to Tapestry Farms

The three-year grant will ensure that Tapestry Farms can sustainably grow while taking on the intertwined work of food insecurity and supporting refugee families.

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.