San Juan, PR

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: Older residents in a low-income area faced food insecurity and lacked accessible gardening options. The project installed raised beds with self-watering systems and added benches, making gardening easier for volunteers with mobility challenges. Free herbal medicine workshops taught residents to create remedies from garden plants, fostering engagement and self-sufficiency. The garden now supports regular harvests and volunteer leadership, with plans for home gardens tied to new housing projects. "It is heartwarming watching volunteers gush about food grown here," one participant said, reflecting the sense of community the effort created.

Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.

Providence, RI

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: Urban soil contamination left residents without safe gardening options, especially older adults with limited mobility or no yard space. The center introduced straw bale gardening, teaching participants how to grow vegetables without heavy tools or transportation. Over the summer, older adults found joy and improved mental well-being through gardening, while learning a method that promotes independence and self-sufficiency. One volunteer shared cucumbers with a crossing guard while explaining the benefits, showing how the project sparked community connections and will continue through outreach for future planting seasons.

Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.

Washington, DC

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: Older adults volunteering in the community garden, growing fresh produce for donation, were increasingly limited by mobility challenges and summer heat, putting pressure on a program that depends on consistent hands-on work. Franciscan Monastery Garden Guild responded by upgrading the garden with raised beds, ergonomic tools, accessible seating and misting fans. These improvements reduced bending and strain, helped volunteers work safely in hot conditions and made it easier for people with limited mobility to plant, tend and harvest. The changes allowed older adults to remain active in the garden rather than step back from the work. The upgrades also made the space more welcoming to new volunteers, supporting steady production of fresh vegetables for food pantries and meal programs. By removing physical barriers, the project helped older adults continue contributing their time while expanding access to locally grown food.

Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.