Local non-profit Tapestry Farms received a donation of $18,500 from Ascentra Credit Union on Monday, Feb. 24 at Ascentra's Home Office in Bettendorf.
Founded by Executive Director Ann McGlynn in 2017, Tapestry Farms has assisted almost 500 refugees in navigating life after resettlement. The non-profit organization employs refugees on 10 urban farming plots throughout the Quad Cities, providing job opportunities and food security, along with other social service programs.
Tapestry Farms Community Engagement Manager Leslie Klipsch said the donation will support a legal clinic opened within the organization last year. The clinic allows for new, in-house services, assisting refugees with green card and work authorization paperwork.
“This investment from Ascentra really means a lot,” Klipsch said. “It’s a testament to their commitment to serving this population and the people that live here, regardless of where they’re from.”
The donation comes from funding acquired for Ascentra’s revolving loan with the Esperanza Legal Assistance Center. Before Esperanza’s discontinuation at the end of 2024, the partnership provided low-interest loans to immigrants needing legal fee assistance for their citizenship. With Esperanza ending operations, both parties decided to donate the remaining funds to Tapestry Farms.
“Right away we knew they were the perfect organization to gift these funds,” Ascentra President and CEO Linda Andry said in a press release. “Their mission utilizes the skills that individuals from other countries or different lived experiences have to offer while helping to feed families.”
After the Trump administration suspended refugee resettlement funding, federally funded organizations continue to struggle with uncertainty, including Tapestry Farms' partner, World Relief. Klipsch said this donation comes at a time when community support remains an asset of hope.
"We are very aware of the circumstances and very disappointed and concerned by them," Klipsch said. "We are also heartened by the way that organizations and community members and grant makers have come together and are facing these challenges together and bolstered by one another. At the end of the day, that's giving us a lot of hope in a really hard moment."