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BronxWorks (2018) Print
2018 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Community Gardens
└ Community Gardens
The Morris Community Garden had suffered years of neglect, and the abandoned site was overrun with rats. To breathe new live into the space, BronxWorks restored the garden, located near a senior center and three schools. They renamed the space Bean Morris Garden to memorialize a young man from the neighborhood. To welcome people of all ages and abilities, the nonprofit added accessible seating to the space, along with raised garden beds. Since the renovation, residents of all ages have volunteered to tend to the plots. Organizers say the amenity offers an important outdoor gathering space for the community.
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Seaford, DE
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Residents lacked a shared space to grow food and connect socially, and older adults faced barriers to gardening. The project added large beds for families, a wraparound bench for gathering and braille signage to make the garden accessible. Volunteers hosted monthly classes and provided shared tools, while soaker hoses ensured easier watering for older gardeners. These changes created a welcoming space where neighbors meet and older adults garden comfortably. A blind child exploring the Veterans Garden with braille signs showed how the project fosters inclusion and intergenerational connection.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Estes Park, CO
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: This project made improvements to the Estes Valley Community Garden. The EVCG added six raised garden beds to make planting and harvesting comfortable for older gardeners and those with physical limitations. Project organizers also constructed a green waste storage box, which allows gardeners to toss their weeds rather than carry them home. Additionally, gardeners and visitors benefit from a new handwashing station, installed to increase safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. This project contributed to EVCG's ongoing efforts to donate plots and produce to a local food bank. Project organizers report the improvements attracted partners to the EVGC's new diversity initiative.
New Orleans, LA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Located within a food desert, the Upper 9th Ward of New Orleans has endured hurricanes and years of disinvestment. To give residents a gathering space, provide healthy food and create a respite from hot weather, Water Wise Gulf South and the Bunny Friend Neighborhood Association planned a new community orchard and vegetable garden. Volunteers cleared the site of debris and overgrowth. They then spread hardwood mulch in the orchard area and planted orange, lemon and persimmon trees. In the garden they built planter boxes and filled them with spinach, lettuce, mustard greens and passionflower vines. The site incorporates solar-powered charging stations a pavilion to provide shade and green infrastructure to manage stormwater runoff. Organizers hope the orchard and garden will allow for neighborhood events, access to fresh food and opportunities to educate locals about stormwater management and food production.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
New York City, NY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Public place improvements to withstand extreme weather events
Description: Older adults in heat-vulnerable NYC neighborhoods faced isolation and health risks during extreme summer heat, with few safe outdoor spaces. Street Lab created OASIS, a pop-up cooling station with shade, seating and a misting "river," deploying it 33 times across 15 streets. The setup also included plant carts and emergency preparedness materials, offering immediate relief and a place to connect. The project drew 1,650 people-half age 50-plus-and informed plans to scale citywide. One older adult said she loved staying cool while watching her granddaughter play in the mist, showing how OASIS turned hot streets into welcoming community spaces.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Bronx, NY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Fordham University's Center for Community Engaged Learning transformed a vacant lot in Highbridge into a weekly farmers market, tackling limited access to fresh food and services for older adults. The market offered locally grown produce, cooking demonstrations and resource tables, with seating added for comfort. It accepted multiple payment options, including assistance programs, and fostered intergenerational connections. During cooking demos, participants shared recipes and memories, with one noting the exchange "was a beautiful way to build community."
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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