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St. Louis, MO
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: STL Village partnered with volunteers from the community to restore the Lewis Place Community Garden, which had gone unplanted during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Volunteers cleared the site of overgrowth, refurbished garden beds, installed a storage shed and planted and watered vegetables, shrubs and trees. Neighborhood residents formed a garden committee charged with maintaining the site going forward. STL Village also created a resource guide for local older adults with a specific focus on services for low-income families.
Tavernier, FL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: The JOY (Just Older Youth) Center's staff saw a need to build connections and prevent loneliness. To do this, the Center added a new community garden. Engaging the expertise of a local gardener, Center staff built elevated garden beds, designed to be easier on aging knees than ground-level plots. They also purchased seedlings for the space. Today, the garden isn't just producing broccoli and collard greens. Project organizers say the garden is also a nurturing place for older adults to get together, socialize and learn new skills. And over the growing season, nearly 100 community members worked in the gardens.
St. Petersburg, FL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Inflation and food deserts left many older adults in St. Petersburg struggling with nutrition and isolation. The housing authority revitalized its community garden with six raised beds, shaded seating and irrigation. It also hosted workshops on sustainable gardening, budgeting and healthy cooking. Residents helped plant and harvest produce for a community pantry, creating opportunities for exercise and social connection. The project improved access to fresh food and reduced stress, with plans for expanded programming. One participant said, "The garden is important to me because it has everlasting memories... I would love to see this garden flourish again."
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Anadarko, OK
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Delaware Nation created an accessible community garden in an area designated as a food desert. Residents of all ages use the garden to plant and harvest fresh fruits and vegetables. The garden includes 25 raised beds, constructed at different heights to accommodate older adults and people with mobility differences. Two beds are specifically designated for growing native plants. Delaware Nation also purchased gardening tools, including wheelbarrows, trellises, garden hoses, an irrigation system and reusable frost blankets. Much of the produce grown onsite is used in meals prepared for the tribe's older members. Tables, shade umbrellas and a charcoal grill allow tribal members to gather and enjoy produce from the garden together.
Chickasha, OK
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: As part of wider efforts to revitalize Chickasha's downtown, the Chickasha Economic Development Council made several streetscape improvements. To increase foot traffic to local businesses, volunteers decorated crosswalks with pavement art and created a mural. They also installed benches and bike tracks. The branding effort is meant to redefine the town's commercial district and connect it with the surrounding neighborhoods. Project organizers hope to build on the improvements in the future, adding additional public art and pedestrian infrastructure.
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