St. Petersburg, FL

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: This project will make a community garden accessible by constructing benches, an awning and raised beds for growing healthy, free food. The Housing Authority will also hold workshops on sustainable gardening, cooking and budgeting skills.

Camp Hill, AL

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: The project will create a rural community garden which will grow produce to improve the diets of older residents, while also providing them with a safe place to get exercise by walking.

Custer, SD

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: After flooding destroyed the Custer Community Garden, the Custer Area Economic Development set out to relocate the beloved amenity to a new site. The organization created a new garden at a local high school, installing 16 raised beds, including wheelchair accessible and raised options to accommodate gardeners of all ability levels. Workers laid compost and mulch at the site and installed fencing to keep out foraging wildlife. The school's lunch program now has access to excess produce grown in the garden, which also provides educational programming to the community. Project organizers report that since the improvements, leaders from neighboring communities have reached out for advice for creating their own gardens.