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Community Gardens of Tucson (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Community Gardens
└ Community Gardens
The Blue Moon Community Garden in Tucson is located next a 17-story apartment building with hundreds of residents, many of whom are older adults. However, the garden lacked shade and amenities, including public bathrooms and benches, which discouraged potential volunteers. Community Gardens of Tucson, which manages twenty gardens across the city, installed tables, benches and pop-up shade structures. They also built raised garden beds, improved pathways and added a compostable toilet onsite. The improvements allow garden to offer more diverse programming for community members, which has led to more volunteer engagement.
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Memphis, TN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: To help more South Memphis families access fresh food, Knowledge Quest made upgrades the hydroponic system at its Green Leaf Learning Farm, installing fifty new grow towners onsite. The infrastructure improvements allow the three-acre urban farm to produce more vegetables, which Knowledge Quest makes available to local lower-income families. Project organizers say the farm's increased capacity also allows them to offer more farming and nutrition education programming, which helps community members become more self-reliant. Today the farm is an agritourism destination, hosting school field trips related to beekeeping, vegetable growing, aquaponics, green building and more.
Isleta Pueblo, NM
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: This project will provide older adults with a year-round gardening space near the Elder Center and horno bread ovens. It will feature raised beds for growing traditional plants, herbs, and vegetables.
Wheeling, WV
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Warwood lacked a safe, accessible space for growing food and connecting neighbors, leaving older adults with few options for activity and healthy eating. Volunteers transformed a vacant lot into the Loveland Community Garden with 20 raised beds, a storage shed, fencing and benches designed for accessibility. Level paths and recycled-plastic benches made gardening possible for those with mobility challenges. The garden now fosters intergenerational ties, with older adults sharing tips and students forming clubs. Plans for workshops and selling excess crops at local markets promise lasting community engagement.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Tucson, AZ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Bikeability
Description: Older adults with disabilities in Southern Arizona faced barriers to exercise and recreation, limiting opportunities for health and social connection. To address this, the organization launched the Eduardo Aguirre Adaptive Cycling Center, installing storage containers and creating a wheelchair-accessible site with a fleet of adaptive bikes. More than 300 people, including 200 age 50-plus, have used the center for rides and training. Participants report renewed confidence and joy. One woman, age 72, said she now feels supported and can ride with friends again.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Tucson, AZ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Disaster Preparedness
Description: Extreme heat poses serious risks for older adults who may not know how quickly heat stress develops. The Council held two trainings where attendees learned practical ways to stay safe, including early warning signs and low-cost cooling strategies, supported by materials from county health partners and the American Red Cross. Participants said they were thrilled to gain new guidance. The effort encouraged neighbors to share tips and allowed the Council to continue distributing remaining educational materials.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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