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Beverly Main Streets (2020) Print
2020 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Community Gardens
└ Community Gardens
The Blooming in Beverly project installed raised garden beds in older adults' front yards. Beverly Main Streets matched 50 older adults with families with young children, who built and delivered the beds, then planted flowers and vegetables in them. Project organizers hoped to foster intergenerational relationships, helping combat social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative allowed young children to make a new friend as they helped with weekly watering. Older adult participants reported they were grateful to be around children, since many had not seen their own grandchildren since the pandemic began. The intergenerational pairings also allowed older adults to reap the benefits of gardening while avoiding hard, physical exertion.
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Billings, MT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Older gardeners struggled with heavy clay soil and low beds, making gardening painful and limiting produce donations to food pantries. The garden added four tall raised beds, five fruit trees and drip irrigation systems. It also put in kneeler benches and hose hangers to reduce strain and improve safety. These upgrades let older adults keep gardening and boosted donations of fresh vegetables. One gardener said moving to a raised bed let her continue gardening despite physical limitations, while others praised the ease and sense of community the improvements provide.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Ellington, CT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Seasonal gardening left older adults without access to fresh produce or the social and health benefits of tending plants. To address this, the town built a 10x16 greenhouse at the local Senior Center, creating year-round opportunities for gardening and learning. Volunteers installed shelving and padding, and seniors began growing vegetables for the center's lunch program and local food pantries. The greenhouse now serves as a hub for workshops and social connection. One gardener said the space encouraged her to use available transportation, helping her engage more in community life.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Providence, RI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: To give residents of the Amos House shelter program opportunities to socialize, as well as access to fresh produce, the Southside Community Land Trust created a community garden at the St. Martin De Porres Center. Participants in the Trust's youth program worked to build raised garden beds onsite, added seating and painted murals. To honor residents' African, Caribbean and Central American roots, organizers chose a tropical theme for the artwork. The effort was intergenerational -- older adult residents supervised the youth workers as they planted herbs and vegetables. Today, Amos House residents are involved in all aspects of tending the garden, from planting to harvesting and meal preparation. Additionally, the nonprofit's soup kitchen uses vegetables from the garden to provide tens of thousands of meals to food insecure families each year.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Lynn, MA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Walkability
Description: Older adults in Lynn faced unsafe sidewalks and poor street conditions that limited access to the Northern Strand Trail and transit options. To address this, Bike to the Sea led three walk audits with about 30 participants, including residents and city officials, to document hazards and rate conditions using worksheets. Findings were shared in local media and the AARP Bulletin, sparking conversations about safety signage and infrastructure upgrades. "We all need to work together to make sure the streets are safe", said one resident, underscoring the push for lasting improvements.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Lynn, MA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: The PATIO Parklet program involved installing three modular, portable parklets in downtown Lynn. Parklets transform curbside parking spaces into vibrant community spaces. The ones in Lynn include tables and seating, greenery and public art. Since installing the parklets, Lynn has seen improved street safety, increased foot traffic, more social interactions among residents and new, culturally relevant programming downtown. The parklets have hosted musical performances, sidewalk sales and the Living Room Series -- facilitated bilingual conversations on important local topics. One installation of the Living Room Series gave residents the chance to meet with school committee and city council candidates. Project organizers say the parklet initiative also helped Beyond Walls to deepen its relationship with partner organizations, including Greater Lynn Senior Services and the Lynn Council on Aging.
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