Mission: Empowering Refugees Through Food, Resources, and Storytelling.
About: Refugee Garden Initiatives (RGI) was founded with a distinct purpose — to empower and uplift refugee and immigrant women through food, resources, and storytelling. Refugee Garden Initiatives' genesis traces back to a senior capstone project, shaping RGI to address the real lived experiences of three specific clients directly. Acknowledging the profound childcare duties and trauma faced by these women, their mission is to provide holistic support, fostering empowerment, self-sufficiency, autonomy, agency, inclusivity, representation, and community engagement.
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Phimmasone Kym Owens
Executive Director
Phimmasone Owens is the Founder and Executive Director of Refugee Garden Initiatives (RGI), a refugee-led nonprofit working to make culturally meaningful food more accessible to communities. Inspired by her lived experience as a Lao refugee, she uses food as a way to connect people to culture, health, and a sense of belonging.
What began as a small garden project has grown into a community effort that brings together families, students, and partners to learn, grow, and share food rooted in culture and tradition. Through this work, Phimmasone is helping reshape how we think about food access—not just as something to eat, but as something deeply tied to identity, healing, and community.
She continues to build RGI while advocating for refugee voices and working toward more inclusive and culturally responsive food systems.