See More Projects Like This One

Naknek, AK

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: This project will convert an unused lot, situated in a central location next to a lake, into a community garden with raised beds and accessible benches to accommodate older residents.

Lincoln, NE

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: NeighborWorks Lincoln turned a vacant lot into a community garden. Volunteers installed fifteen raised garden beds, along with lighting and an arbor entranceway. Other improvements include walkway and seating. Residents have access to fresh produce grown onsite. In addition, project organizers recruited experienced gardeners to help beginners learn the ropes. Today, residents -- many of whom represent the area's Latino, Iraqi and Karen communities -- use the garden as a space to socialize. Locals have told NeighborWorks that they feel safer walking past the site now that it's a garden instead of an abandoned lot. And work on the garden paved the way for future projects as well. Organizers also said they worked with the City of Lincoln to work around rules restricting planting in a public right-of-way, which helped make future gardening plans feasible.

Baker, MT

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: This project will help create a food forest, which will provide residents with fresh food and promote environmental sustainability. Unlike a community garden, a food forest mimics the natural ecosystem, incorporating fruit and nut trees, shrubs, herbs, vines and perennial vegetables.

Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects

Tacoma, WA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Entrepreneurship and improved economic resilience

Description: This project will provide formerly incarcerated older adults with digital and financial literacy training, employment services and food assistance, with the goal of fostering livable communities and preventing recidivism.

Puyallup, WA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020

Project Category: Entrepreneurship and improved economic resilience

Description: This project created an age-friendly business certification program, which identifies businesses that intentionally accommodate older adult customers. After recruiting businesses to participate, project organizers scored each one based on customer service, environment, access and discounts. To incentivize businesses to participate, the Main Street Association chose six businesses with a 90 score to win decorative planter boxes. Participating businesses signed a pledge to be age-friendly and received certification stickers to display in their storefront windows. Businesses can apply to be re-certified every two years.

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