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HarvestShare Maryland (2024) Print
2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Community Gardens
└ Community Gardens
Older adults volunteering in HarvestShares donation garden faced physical strain from bending and lifting. At the same time, many people, including those over age 50-plus, struggled with food insecurity. The project added elevated beds, lightweight hoses, cooling fans and trellises to make gardening safer and more accessible. These upgrades boosted productivity and helped volunteers work comfortably even in extreme heat, resulting in over 1,000 pounds of fresh produce for a local pantry. One volunteer in her late 70s said elevated beds and lighter hoses made it possible for her to keep gardening weekly.
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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Silver Spring, MD
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: The first season of a new community garden revealed gaps in accessibility and education for older adults and neighbors. IMPACT Silver Spring responded by offering technical assistance and hosting gardening workshops, while volunteers widened an informal path to improve access. Partnerships with local agencies strengthened the effort, creating a space for learning and connection. Plans now include drip irrigation, a food forest and produce donations, with a goal to secure funding for permanent walkways and eventually hand stewardship to the community.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Jackson, KY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Flooded green space in Jackson left older adults with few options for healthy activity or fresh food. The district converted the area into community gardens with raised beds and buckets, inviting older adults from six counties to plant and maintain crops. Volunteers helped build the beds, and produce was shared locally. At one site, adults harvested enough tomatoes and cucumbers to make pickles and juice together, turning the project into a social experience that boosted physical and mental health.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Casselberry, FL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: The Hindu Society of Central Florida is a vital center of the Hindu community. However, the temple's grounds needed a facelift. IDEAS for Us upgraded landscaping in the Society's courtyard, planting 250 native plants, as well as two magnolia trees. They also installed benches and an arbor to create a self-seeding, perennial garden that society members can use throughout the year. The project helped spur a thriving garden program and laid the groundwork for expansion to the space.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Gaithersburg, MD
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Digital navigation skills
Description: Older adults in Montgomery County faced tech barriers that deepened isolation and limited access to health portals and communication tools. CyberMasters paired them with teens for one-on-one tutoring in multiple languages, teaching smart phone use, photo sharing and online health access. Sessions for residents age 50-plus and for youth built confidence and social connection. One man, once unable to answer "Do you know how to use a computer?" on job applications, now proudly checks "Yes." Another participant called the program "a lifesaver," underscoring its role in restoring independence and reducing loneliness.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Washington, DC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Lifelong housing and accessibility
Description: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Iona Senior Services needed to transform its Aging Solo series from in-person classes to Zoom instruction. The popular series provides information, strategies and a supportive community to older adults who don't have a family support network. Iona offered the virtual classes for six weeks and -- to reach a larger audience -- recorded them for future sharing. The new online format allowed Iona to reach individuals who would not have been able to participate in person, and course leaders modified the curriculum to recognize the pandemic's impact on older adults. To expand the initiative's reach, project organizers also created and distributed an electronic discussion guide for use by faith communities, aging-in-place villages and other organizations.
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