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FAM Houston (2024) Print
2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Community Health and Economic Empowerment
└ Entrepreneurship and improved economic resilience
└ Entrepreneurship and improved economic resilience
East African newcomers in Houston, many age 50-plus, face isolation and limited income despite deep farming knowledge. FAM Houston equipped 30 farmers with seeds, tools and supplies to sell crops at local markets, creating a Farmers Market Team and piloting biweekly sales. The effort boosted production by 50%, improved nutrition and gave participants a sense of belonging. Surveys show income gains and better health outcomes, and farmers shared cultural knowledge with customers. "When you share the ideas with people, it feels good... it makes me happy," said Emmaculata, reflecting on teaching market shoppers how to cook cassava leaves.
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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Augusta, GA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Entrepreneurship and improved economic resilience
Description: Music and farming are deep parts of Augusta's culture. To support Black musicians and farmers through agrotourism, Garden City Jazz created a series of outdoor concerts, dubbed Soul Soil. The concert series -- which took place at local farms -- featured performances by professional gospel, jazz and blues musicians and attracted visitors from all around the region. The series also sparked important conversations about the inequities Black farmers face. This resulted in new partnerships, as well as the creation of cooperatively owned farmers market.
Portland, OR
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Entrepreneurship and improved economic resilience
Description: Following COVID-19 shutdowns, Alberta Main Street wanted to encourage residents to visit small businesses in the Alberta District. To increase foot traffic in the neighborhood, they hosted a series of community events. Christmas, Halloween and other holiday-themed gatherings drew large crowds to the district. Additionally, they launched a monthly Last Thursday series, which showcased local artists' work and offered activities for families with children. Organizers worked to ensure each event celebrated the neighborhoods' diversity and culture, as well as its African American business owners. Alberta Main Street hopes future events help shield legacy businesses from displacement. In the future, they are also planning a grant program to help owners historically overlooked by traditional lenders.
Portland, ME
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Entrepreneurship and improved economic resilience
Description: Portland's historic downtown, with its brick sidewalks and preserved buildings, long limited access for older adults and residents with mobility challenges. Age-Friendly Portland's "Ramp Up for Accessibility" initiative provided portable ramps and wireless doorbells to 15 businesses, allowing patrons to enter or request help without altering protected structures. Participation in the city's Age-Friendly Business Program grew 40% as more shops displayed decals signaling their commitment to inclusion. At Mechanics' Hall, a new ramp now welcomes visitors to one of Portland's oldest cultural sites-proof that accessibility and preservation can thrive together, creating lasting visibility for a more inclusive downtown.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Houston, TX
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Many residents of Houston's Gulfton neighborhood live in apartment buildings, which lack outdoor space. Organizers with My Connect Community set out to give these residents a place to gather. They created a placemaking tool kit tailored to multifamily property owners. The kit includes portable carts adorned with laser-cut designs meant to represent Gulfton's diversity. Each cart also features a shade umbrella and a chalkboard. Additionally, the kits include outdoor rugs, bistro lighting and seating. Then My Connect Community hosted a series of pop-up events on side streets and in on-street parking spaces. The temporary activations gave Gulfton residents a chance to socialize with one another and allowed organizers to share information about community resources, such as public transit service and library programming. In the future, My Connect Community hopes to ensure community events are culturally informed and engage volunteers who speak residents' languages.
Houston, TX
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Once a vacant lot, the Harry Holmes Healthy Harvest provides free access to garden beds for resident of Houston's Sunnyside neighborhood, a historically Black community. The Houston Land Bank wanted to improve the space to make it more welcoming to people of all ages and abilities. Volunteers built raised beds and installed solar lighting to allow gardeners to work after dark. They also created an accessible pathway, which is designed to be less muddy and slippery after rain. New fig trees at the garden's entrance beautify the space and provide fresh fruit. To celebrate the project's completion, the Land Bank hosted a community event, which promoted grandparents and grandchildren gardening together. At the event, organizers distributed information on financial literacy and affordable paths to homeownership.
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