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Growling Garden (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Community Health and Economic Empowerment
└ Addressing community health
└ Addressing community health
Many low-income Pocatello residents have limited access to fresh fruit and vegetables. Growling Garden, a community-based organization that addresses food insecurity, worked to address this by providing families with raised garden box kits. Each family received a three-tiered garden box, seed packets, compost and trowels to help them plant a backyard garden. The project helped economically strapped families extend their food budgets and gain access to healthy produce.
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Jackson, TN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Addressing community health
Description: Jackson residents in low-income neighborhoods faced barriers to fresh food due to limited transportation and high grocery costs. To fill that gap, the City of Jackson built and stocked two community fridges at local service sites, each surrounded by resident-painted frames featuring murals of fruits and vegetables. Volunteers, including older adults, helped decorate and maintain the fridges, which quickly drew steady use. The effort provided consistent access to fresh food and fostered a sense of community pride. "It helps me feed my family and get by," said one resident caring for his nieces, reflecting how the project offered both nourishment and dignity to those struggling with food insecurity.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Heber Springs, AR
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Addressing community health
Description: An aging HVAC system threatened the kitchen's ability to provide a safe, comfortable space for older adults who rely on free meals. The project installed a new 5-ton unit, ensuring reliable heating and cooling and positioning the dining room to serve as a warming and cooling center during extreme weather. This upgrade supports the largest free meal site in Cleburne County, which serves thousands annually. Plans to use the space as a winter refuge will offer critical relief for vulnerable older adults, helping them stay safe and connected during severe conditions.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Lincoln County, ID
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Addressing community health
Description: When the Lincoln County Youth Center opened in 2021, children would run laps around the building's wide, circular hallway. To allow visitors to exercise, the Lincoln County Youth Commission created an indoor fitness track in the hall. With the track, the Lincoln County Youth Commission hoped to make the Center a welcoming space for residents of all ages. The rural community lacks sidewalks, making walking outdoors difficult for the community's older adults. The Lincoln Loop is ADA-accessible and offers a climate-controlled environment for people to exercise all year round. The path also includes stations where people can perform stretches and warm-up exercises.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Pocatello, ID
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Engaging residents in vibrant public places
Description: Not every Pocatello neighborhood has its own public park or gathering space. To give residents a way to gather outside, NeighborWorks Pocatello created its Block Party Trailer. Equipped with folding picnic tables, chairs, cornhole games, an outdoor movie screen, collapsible garbage bins and more, the 22-foot trailer helps neighbors easily host block parties and other outdoor gatherings. "This will help people not only get to know their neighbors, but also just get them out into their neighborhoods," Neighborworks Community Equipment Manager Lisa Smith said.
Pocatello, ID
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Engaging residents in vibrant public places
Description: Older adults in southeast Idaho lost access to fitness classes and educational programs after a longtime venue closed, leaving volunteers searching for a permanent home. To build support for a Lifelong Learning Center, United Seniors Project hosted a "Walk About the Property" event where residents toured the future site, viewed plans and shared feedback. Informational materials, signage and music created a welcoming atmosphere. The event sparked momentum for a capital campaign and gave older adults and other community members a voice in shaping a space designed for learning, wellness and intergenerational connection.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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