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City of Montpelier Parks and Trees Department (2022) Print
2022 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Community Gardens
└ Community Gardens
Older residents faced barriers to affordable fresh produce and lacked a welcoming space to gather. The project launched weekly pop-up farm-stand events outside the local center, offering low-cost food grown at the city's Feast Farm. A mobile stand, shade tent and signage were added, and volunteers-including many age 50-plus-helped run events featuring music and cooking demos. The farm stand became a seasonal hub for social connection and healthy eating. One volunteer said it was "wonderful to see all the fresh produce and feel part of something." Plans include continuing the farm stand and expanding different programs.
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
Jacksonville, FL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: An underused outdoor area will be transformed into an accessible community garden with raised beds and seating. Gardening spaces will encourage activity, learning and social time for older adults.
Opa-locka, FL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: For Opa-Locka residents, the closest supermarket is more than a mile away, making fresh produce in this low-income community hard to come by. The Opa-Locka Community Development Corporation conducted an extensive community engagement process to determine what kinds of fresh produce the community needed most. They then responded by planting 14 fruit trees -- as well as herbs -- in the common area of a multifamily residential development. The CDC also installed lighting, benches and other amenities in the space, allowing residents to gather there.
New Brunswick, NJ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Volunteers and adults age 50-plus will expand a church community garden by adding raised beds. The garden will grow more fresh produce for a local food pantry and provide hands-on gardening and nutrition education.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Montpelier, VT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Accessibility of amenities
Description: Montpelier's farmers market lacked shaded rest areas, leaving older adults vulnerable to heat and limiting their time at the market. To address this, the market added two rest tents with cushioned chairs, benches and water stations, plus rolling carts to help shoppers carry groceries. Volunteers maintain the spaces weekly, and the improvements have drawn praise from vendors and visitors, who say they can now stay longer and enjoy music and community events. The changes have made the market more accessible and social, with plans to expand seating and shade as demand grows.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Montpelier, VT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: To provide a place for cyclists and walkers to rest and socialize, this project developed a pocket park along an existing bike path. Guertin Pocket Park features a pergola -- a wooden structure with a roof -- to provide shelter from the sun or rain. Project organizers also incorporated seating and bike racks, as well as a rainwater collection system that feeds a small decorative garden. In 2021, the city decided to move the pocket park to a new location in the heart of downtown.
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