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Fontana, CA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Addressing community health
Description: The City of Fontana wanted to motivate its residents to incorporate walking into their daily routines. To do this, the City launched its Fontana Walks program, with the goal of recording two billion steps taken by locals in a year, equaling roughly 1 million miles. Participants registered and received a pedometer and water bottle to help them get going. The City then held its inaugural community walk, which attracted with 100 participants, with hundreds more lacing up their shoes over the next few months. To keep the momentum going, the City created a website with tips and motivation for walkers. The City has continued to host monthly community walks, each featuring a theme.
Santa Rosa, CA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Addressing community health
Description: Low-income older adults in Sonoma County often lacked access to fresh produce, relying on shelf-stable foods. Farm to Pantry addressed this by building "Farm-acy" carts stocked with locally grown fruits and vegetables, health clinics and other high-need sites. Volunteers gleaned produce from farms and added recipe cards to encourage healthy meals. The carts now provide free, high-quality food in a dignified setting, reducing waste and improving nutrition. One recipient said, "I walk out of the clinic to this bright cart full of freshly-picked oranges... it was like it was meant for me personally."
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Honokaa, HI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Addressing community health
Description: Food insecurity surged in rural Honokaa during the pandemic, leaving many older adults isolated and struggling to afford groceries. The project repaired the temple's kitchen roof, upgraded electrical circuits and added a three-door refrigerator, enabling safe storage and preparation of more than 25,000 meals annually. These improvements strengthened a program now serving over 500 weekly meals and grocery bags and paved the way for intergenerational cooking classes that teach economical meal planning. The upgrades also position the temple as a backup emergency shelter during disasters.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Somerville, NJ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: This project paired local youth with graduate students to evaluate walkability and bikeability in Somerset. Youth ambassadors engaged with members of their community to identify barriers to walking and biking, as well as opportunities to make active transportation safer and more comfortable. Based on their findings, the students decided to construct a parklet in Somerville's Bound Brook neighborhood. The mini-park -- which sits in the footprint of a parking spot -- extends the sidewalk space into the roadway. The parklet is modular, allowing the student ambassadors to set it up at community events, including weekly farmers market and movie nights. Organizers hope the temporary space offers residents an attractive place to stop, sit and to rest while taking in activities on the street. Youth who participated in the project worked alongside local leaders and made intergenerational connections -- all while learning how to advocate for their community.
Stockton, NJ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Bike Audits
Description: The Partnership set out to understand safety issues along a 12-mile stretch of the Delaware River Scenic Byway, where cyclists faced hazards such as debris, cracked pavement and faded markings that forced riders, including older adults, into traffic. Volunteers completed 34 audits, documenting conditions across three segments and noting that while many riders enjoyed the route for recreation and commuting, problems like fallen branches and drainage issues created real risks. One rider described ending up in the emergency room after hitting a branch on the shoulder. The project produced clear recommendations for permanent "share the road" signage, more frequent debris removal, better maintenance and guidance for less experienced riders to use the adjacent canal trail. These findings will be shared with municipalities and land managers to help improve safety for the long term.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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