2023
IRCS Impact Report
You Make a World of Difference
Dear Supporters,
We are pleased to present the 2023 Impact Report for LSI’s Immigrant and Refugee Community Services (IRCS). So much of what was accomplished last year is due to the tremendous support of our donors, volunteers, community partners, funders, and of course, our dedicated staff.
The year 2023 marked a time of tremendous growth and evolution as LSI continued to respond to rapid changes in global conflict and migration. The IRCS team continued to grow in support of our mission of welcoming and empowering immigrants across the state of Iowa. Some of the key service highlights you helped make possible include:
- LSI took the first steps to re-establish services for welcoming refugees and immigrants again in the Waterloo/Cedar Falls region, with expanded services anticipated to begin in 2024.
- Through impactful partnerships with Global Refuge and Heartland Alliance, LSI began working to triple its capacity for providing supportive services to unaccompanied children and their sponsors throughout the state and region.
- The State of Iowa awarded LSI contracts to expand its Child Care Business Development program to three new areas of the state – Buena Vista, Black Hawk, and Scott Counties. These services are expected to begin in 2024.
- Existing programs continue to see increased numbers of participants as the need for resettlement and long-term integration programming grew with the rising levels of global displacement.
This is just a short list of the impact your partnership has made. We cannot begin to highlight the numerous successes and victories our clients, teams, and communities have had this year.
This work cannot be done alone and we are grateful for you and the hundreds of individuals and organizations who partner with LSI to make sure that newcomers feel welcomed, have resources to start their lives in the U.S., and are connected to the tools and opportunities that will help them thrive.
Thank you for your partnership – we look forward to another successful year together!
Eternally grateful,
Renee Hardman
President and CEO
Nick Wuertz
Director of Immigrant and Refugee Community Services
2023 Impact
LSI Global Greens
2,536
Elder Food Boxes
Delivered
2,864
CSA boxes packed
$418,120
Farmer Income
24
Farm and Garden Sites
1,181,043
Pounds of food grown by
LSI Global Greens Farmers
47
Acres growing food
Volunteers
349
volunteers
6,241
hours
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance
183
Assisted with
their tax returns
$382,245
in refunds with
their tax returns
Community-Based English Language Learner
211
students
(an increase of 11%)
318
hours of additional instruction
added in 2023
Refugee Resettlement
267
Welcomed in
Des Moines
144
Welcomed in
Sioux City
Migrant Services
155
individuals served
Employment Services
137
enrolled
69%
self-sufficient
in 180 days
89%
self-sufficient
in 240 days
Garden of Paradise
When the people of Resurrection Lutheran Church partnered with LSI to build an urban garden on their church property, they needed a great name. Thus, the Garden of Eatin’ was established.
As part of LSI’s Global Greens program, Urban Gardens partners with the City of Des Moines, volunteers, and private landowners to build small garden plots for former refugee families in the area. In 2023, LSI reached 20 gardens in the Des Moines metro area, totaling 141,330 square feet, or 3.2 acres, of gardens.
In 2022, LSI voiced the need for garden space in the metro area. Members of Resurrection Lutheran Church in Ankeny heard the call and spoke with their pastor, Beth Wartick, who was eager to help. LSI staff, volunteers, and church members set to work building the garden on the church property.
“It’s amazing how quickly it all came together. Only a few weeks passed between that initial call to LSI to serve as an Urban Garden location to opening in early June,” said Rev. Wartick. “When people come together with a united purpose, miracles can happen.”
During an outdoor service on Pentecost, LSI and the church blessed and officially opened the garden, calling it the “Garden of Eatin’,” a humorous play on the biblical Garden of Eden. LSI staff, church members, and excited gardeners gathered to celebrate the garden’s opening.
Today, the garden is thriving, with refugee gardeners from the community tending to their crops primarily during the evening. Many crops are from the gardeners’ home countries and are difficult to find at local grocery stores. Gardeners often bring their whole family, with the parents working the soil while children play soccer or tag nearby.
As church members watched the garden progress, they quickly noticed the variety of produce grown in the garden, including many unfamiliar vegetables. They asked Tika, an LSI staff member helping with the garden, what the veggies were and how to cook them properly. In response, the church held a taste-test event.
Tika demonstrated how to cook the unfamiliar vegetables, and the congregation could taste new foods alongside the gardeners who grew them. Motivated to learn more, church members invited Lynette Thornton, LSI’s Urban Garden Specialist, to attend their monthly community meals and educate the church about the gardens, growing practices, non-native vegetables, and more.
Today, there is a waitlist for gardeners hoping for a spot in the Garden of Eatin’, so the church is working to expand the garden from 19 spots to 42 in 2024.
“This is a congregation that values feeding people in partnership,” shared Rev. Wartick. “Something as simple as putting up fencing and providing water can make a huge difference.”
Meet Fatiya: A friendly face welcoming Sioux City arrivals
When refugees step off the plane in Iowa, many emotions and questions tend to arise. At LSI, our Immigrant and Refugee Community Services caseworkers bring peace and comfort to newly arrived families, greeting them at the airport and welcoming them to Iowa.
Fatiya Adam, an LSI caseworker in Sioux City, arrived in the U.S. when she was 15 years old. A refugee from Ethiopia, she settled in a small town in Minnesota. As she grew up, she knew she wanted to help others who had a similar experience.
“My favorite aspect of being a caseworker is working closely with our clients,” said Fatiya. “Having undergone a similar journey of relocating to a new country, I deeply empathize with the challenges they can encounter.”
When a family arrives, Fatiya takes them to their new home, typically an apartment located near necessities such as a laundromat and grocery store. Fatiya helps enroll the children in school, connects the adults to LSI’s English classes, and helps them sets up social security and other resources.
LSI hosts resettlement services in Des Moines and Sioux City, and recently expanded services to Waterloo. One of the challenges in Sioux City is the lack of culturally appropriate stores. While Des Moines has a vibrant refugee community full of various cultural grocery stores, festivals, and community centers, Sioux City is relatively new in that space.
LSI and community partners are working to educate the city about refugees, and in the meantime, Fatiya is going the extra mile to comfort her clients. She noticed a newly arrived family from Syria was struggling to resettle. The family couldn’t find their preferred food or groceries, couldn’t find anyone else who spoke their language, and missed a sense of familiar community.
Fatiya asked for patience and set to work, contacting a Syrian family in Nebraska, across the state border. Soon, she was able to move the families closer together.
“The family told me, ‘You told us to be patient and we were patient. Now we are happy.’” said Fatiya. This is only one example of the ways Fatiya and other caseworkers go the extra mile to ensure their clients feel safe, welcomed, and comforted in their new homes.
You Can Make a World of Difference.
JOIN OUR MOVEMENT.
Ways to Get Involved
Continue your support of LSI Immigrant and Refugee Community Services and stay up-to-date on our news throughout the year!
Qualified Charitable Distributions / Required Minimum Distributions
If you are age 70 ½ or older, you can give up to $105,000 tax free directly from your IRA to charities such as LSI.
An additional benefit of a Qualified Charitable Distribution is that it can satisfy your Required Minimum Distribution from a retirement account which generally needs to start being distributed from your account(s) starting at age 73. Click here for more information on RMDs and the penalties you may face for failure to take your required distribution.
(Note: Mailed checks must come directly from your IRA broker/custodian)
Did you know?
You can make a direct transfer of stock to LSI. Here’s how:
Have your broker make your transfer of stock to
Merrill Lynch DTC #5198, for further credit to LSI account #660-04023.
Merrill Lynch Contact Information:
David Blake (515) 245-8050 or (800) 937-0608
Merrill Lynch, 7545 Ashworth Rd, Ste 100, West Des Moines, IA 50266
Did you know?
You can make a direct transfer of stock to LSI. Here’s how:
Have your broker make your transfer of stock to
Merrill Lynch DTC #5198, for further credit to LSI account #660-04023.
Merrill Lynch Contact Information
David Blake (515) 245-8050 or (800) 937-0608
Merrill Lynch, 7545 Ashworth Rd, Ste 100, West Des Moines, IA 50266
Donations of $1000+ annually
Anonymous
Dean and Sandra Carlson
Bill and Cathy Eddy
Kaye and John Englin
Rob and Susan Fleming
James and Judith Fogdall
Joan Fumetti
David and Linda Gobberdiel
Christian Grindberg
Jason and Liz Gunkel
Ann Hein
Karl and Carmen Jungbluth
Mike Kamper
Mary and Dan Kelly
Annette and Rick Krause
June Mehlhaus
Carrie Murdock
Pauline and Bill Niebur
James and Jeanne O’Halloran
Stuart Oxer and Wendi Harris
Jack and Jane Patton
Jim and Cindy Petersen
Mike and Linda Phipps
Julie Powell-Mohr
Joan Racki
Frances Rockey
Jacquelyne and Richard Siebert
Charles and Mary Sukup
Lewis and Renee Weinberg
Kristine Wells
Tom and Pat Wollan
John Wuertz
Migrant Services
Ben Bergman
Clive Community Center
Des Moines Public Schools
DMARC Des Moines Area Religious Council
FreeStore
Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence
José Herrera
LUNA
Office of Latino Affairs
One Sight
Primary Health Care
Raziel Argueta
Sonia Parras Immigration Law Office
USCRI Des Moines
West Des Moines Public Schools
Career Pathway Partners
DMACC
Iowa Works
Workforce Development Partners
DMACC
Eveyln K Davis Center
Iowa Works
Citizenship Education Partnerships
Des Moines Public Library
Iowa Migration Movement for Justice
Elected Officials
CBELL Partner
Bureau of Refugee Services BRS)
Catholic Charities (USCCB)
Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC)
International Rescue Committee (IRC)
Refugee Alliance of Central Iowa (RACI)
U.S. Committee on Refugee and Immigrants (USCRI)
Resettlement
Ankeny Community School District
Banker’s Trust
Blank Children’s Hospital
Briar Cliff University
Broadlawns Medical Center
Bureau of Refugee Services, Iowa Department of
Health and Human Services
Catholic Charities, Diocese of Sioux City
City of Sioux City
City of South Sioux City
Community Action Agency of Siouxland
Conlin Properties
Dental Connections
Des Moines Area Community College
DART – Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority
Des Moines Police Department
Des Moines Public Schools
Des Moines University Clinic
Des Moines Water Works
Growing Community Connections
Iowa Dept of Human Services
Iowa Dept of Public Health
Iowa DHHS
Iowa Finance Authority
Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice
IowaWORKS
Johnson Community School District
Mary J. Treglia Community House
Mary’s Helping Hands
MidAmerican Energy
Midwest Mattress
Morningside University
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
Northeast Community College
Oligmueller Law Firm
One Siouxland
Refugee Alliance of Central Iowa (RACI)
Safe Kids Iowa
Sergeant Bluff Police Department
Sioux City Community Schools
Sioux City Human Rights Commission
Sioux City Police Department
Sioux City Transit System
Siouxland Chamber of Commerce
Siouxland Community Health Center
Siouxland District Health Department
South Sioux City Community Schools
South Sioux City Police Department
Spire Property Management
Urbandale Community School District
Veridian Credit Union
Waukee Community School District
Wells Fargo
West Des Moines Community Schools
Western Iowa Tech Community College
WIC (Women, infants and children) Office
YMCA
Bank of America
Black Hawk County Gaming
Dollar General
ELCA Foundation (Elderly Endowment Fund)
Everystep
First Lutheran
Fredsville Lutheran
Global Refuge
Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau
Heartland Alliance
Iowa Bureau of Refugee Services
Iowa Department of Health and Human Services
Iowa Dept.of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
Jr. League of Sioux City
Lutheran Church of Hope
Polk County Decategorization
Polk County Early Childhood Iowa
Polk County
Prairie Meadows
Robert Half
Saint John Lutheran-Council Bluffs
SE Iowa Synod Endowment
TEGNA
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
(USCIS)
U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
United Way of Central Iowa
US Department of Agriculture
US Department of Homeland Security
US Dept. of Health and Human Services- Office of Refugee Resettlement
Veridian Credit Union
Waterloo Community Foundation
Zion Lutheran
Bethany Lutheran Church
Capitol Hill Lutheran Church
Central Presbyterian Church
First United Methodist Church
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
Immanuel Lutheran Church
Lutheran Church Of Hope
Paullina Monthly Meeting Of Friends
Redeemer Lutheran Church
Sacred Heart Church
Silver Lake Lutheran Church
South Enes/New Hope Lutheran
St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
St. Peter Lutheran Church
St. Thomas Episcopal Church
Western Iowa Synodical Women’s Organization
Winnebago Lutheran Church
Zion Lutheran Church
Accenture
Athene USA
Businessolver
Community Choice Credit Union
DART – Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority
Dee Zee, Inc.
Foster Group
IMT
Greater Iowa Credit Union
Kum & Go Food Stores
MidAmerican Energy Company
Oligmueller Law Firm
Raygun
Sioux City Federal Credit
T & H Auto Repair
Veridian Credit Union
Voya Financial Advisors, Inc.
Willis Automotive