ROCK ISLAND, Illinois — The Rotary Club of Rock Island Foundation has awarded Tapestry Farms $10,500 to make upgrades to an urban urban orchard it purchased last year in Rock Island’s West End. The grant was announced at the club’s weekly meeting on May 12.
Rock Island Rotary Foundation funds will allow Tapestry Farms team to install a water source at the orchard site to support the health and longevity of current and future fruit trees. The grant also will help fund construction of a shed for storage of specialized orchard-care equipment. Currently the orchard has about 50 fruit trees of various types on a half-acre of land.
"The orchard team at Tapestry Farms is so very grateful for this investment in our work. We see so much potential in this beautiful piece of land and its fruit trees in west Rock Island, and this grant will support our plans for ensuring it has the proper infrastructure in place for years to come,” said Ann McGlynn, executive director of Tapestry Farms. “We look forward to this orchard becoming a space where nutritious food grows, and where people can come and learn how to care for fruit trees. It will play an important role in our hopes that every single person in the Quad-Cities has the food needed to be nourished well, and that more of our community's rich soil and plentiful land will be used to grow food."
Tapestry Farms equips refugees in the Quad Cities with knowledge and encourages them with care as they connect, contribute and thrive in their new community. It was established in 2017 to fill a need to provide refugees and their families with holistic, long-term resettlement support. Since its founding, Tapestry Farms has grown to welcome and assist nearly 200 refugee families, approximately half of whom live Rock Island. For more information about Tapestry Farms, visit its website at www.tapestryfarms.org.