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City of Imperial Beach (2024) Print
2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Community Gardens
└ Community Gardens
Imperial Beach lacked accessible spaces for older adults to garden and connect, despite strong community demand. The city converted a 4,500-square-foot lot near its adult center into an intergenerational garden with 18 raised beds and wheelchair-accessible planters. It also added a greenhouse, compost bins, a tool shed and seating areas. More than 150 volunteers, including many age 50 or over, helped build the space and joined planting days and nutrition workshops. The garden now hosts monthly classes on gardening and healthy cooking, offering residents a welcoming place to socialize. They are able to stay active and grow fresh produce-turning a vacant lot into a hub for health and community.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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See More Projects Like This One
Augusta, GA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Permanent gazebos, accessible picnic benches and solar lighting will be added at public housing sites. Shaded seating and lighting will support safer outdoor use while reducing heat exposure for older adults.
San Antonio, TX
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: An existing garden at a Senior Center will be repaired and improved with accessible raised beds, improved irrigation, shade and soil. The space will host gardening workshops and support regular use by older adults and neighbors.
Flint, MI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Genesee County struggles with food insecurity and chronic disease, challenges worsened by the pandemic and Flint's water crisis. To address these issues, the coalition expanded gardens at nine sites, adding accessible raised beds, farm fields and in-ground plots. Volunteers repaired a greenhouse and launched a countywide garden network to share resources and expertise. These efforts are creating lasting change by increasing access to fresh produce and safe outdoor activity for older adults. "We would like to have as much in the works as we can to grow big for spring... We have built a lot of excitement!" said a food pantry director.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Imperial Beach, CA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Bike Audits
Description: This project will conduct four bike audits along the Bayshore Bikeway trail and major avenues, and hold four community meetings in English and Spanish.
Chula Vista, CA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Activities that address social isolation and facilitate community connections
Description: To honor community elders and bring awareness to the value of older adults in the community, the City of Chula Vista invited older residents to submit photographs and stories of their lives. They then selected several to adorn banners, which the City displayed on light posts along major streets. Additionally, the banners included the URL for a website where residents can read the featured stories and find age-friendly resources. "This program ensures that the older adults in our lives know that they are appreciated for the important role they have in our community," Mayor Mary Casillas Salas said.
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