Triple-S Compost is pleased to announce support of the community garden at Abba’s House, an organization in Cypress whose mission is to provide a safe, welcoming landing place for newly arrived refugee women and their children as they adjust to life in the United States. With the donation of a truckload of Triple-S garden mix, Abba House's large garden will continue to thrive over the winter and feed the campus well into the next growing season.

Working with partner refugee agencies and local churches that commit significant support, Abba’s House receives guests for approximately eight weeks, during which the staff and volunteers model basic life skills, help guests enroll in school and find employment, and make progress dealing with the trauma they have experienced — all while transitioning to their new life. 

Abba’s House opened in 2018 as a fully functioning missional offshoot of LifeBridge Church, helping to settle approximately 80 refugee women and children since inception. Today, with the main house as well as several smaller buildings on the property, Abba’s House can host up to four familiesat a time.

The large community garden is foundational to life at Abba’s House, according to cofounder and executive director Michael Meissner, pastor of LifeBridge , which hosts Abba’s House on its campus. “We built the garden on the property even before the mission house opened, and it has been enlarged several times,” he said. “Early on as we were standing up Abba’s House, we realized we would have many mouths to feed. Practically speaking, the garden is an amazing source of healthy, fresh, low-cost food, but it’s also a place where we work side by side with our guests and volunteers to live out our mission.”

With the donation of a truckload of Triple-S garden mix, Abba’s House’s large garden will be protected over the winter and have a headstart on the next growing season. Meissner said Abba’s House grows both a spring and a fall garden, and a few years ago added a large grow tunnel [a kind of greenhouse that creates a protected microclimate], to allow year-around gardening.

Meissner said the garden also provides an important cultural connection for the refugees. "We grow a lot of vegetables that are familiar to the American diet, but also some from around the world that would be familiar to our international guests,” he said. “One of the fun ones has been a moringa tree — considered the 'tree of life' in parts of Asia."

Triple-S Compost’s Jonathan Holub said he appreciated the opportunity to get involved with Abba’s House, especially after visiting the community to see the garden and the campus in person, and meet with the residents. 

“Pastor Michael gave me a tour and explained how Abba’s House works to serve the residents, with the garden as a central focus on the campus,” Holub said. "I was immediately impressed with what this organization has accomplished in a short period of time. Everyone involved — the refugees, the staff and volunteers — share a sense of joy and gratitude that was inspiring. We’re proud to supply the Abba’s House garden and play a small role in helping these women and children.”

Even with the impressive success and expansion of Abba’s House, more recently the organization has faced significant challenges in the wake of government actions that have caused tremendous disruption for refugees and service organizations that serve them. Last January, all refugee arrivals were put on indefinite pause through the end of 2026, causing a domino effect with the resettlement agencies Abba’s House serves. Funding cuts and resulting service gaps have also been devastating to the refugee community. With so much uncertainty, Abba’s House has pivoted to help current residents and previous guests navigate challenges and find additional support. 

Meissner said the garden is more important than ever as he strives to support and feed more people, and as Abba’s House seeks to do more with less. "Growing our own fresh food helps our bottom line, but the garden is a place for many volunteers to serve; a place where friendships are formed; and a place of healing and familiarity for many of our refugee guests,” he said. ”Thank you, Triple-S Compost, for your generous donation and partnership in our mission.”

Triple-S Compost has made a significant commitment to supporting community gardens in Cypress that help the underserved, partnering with both St. John Lutheran Church (LifeBridge’s parent church) and Reach Unlimited (a plant start partner to area community gardens) to support gardening efforts and food production and distribution to local food banks.  

Abba’s House is located at 16614 Mueschke Road in Cypress. Click here to learn more or discover ways to get involved.