Opa-locka, FL

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: For Opa-Locka residents, the closest supermarket is more than a mile away, making fresh produce in this low-income community hard to come by. The Opa-Locka Community Development Corporation conducted an extensive community engagement process to determine what kinds of fresh produce the community needed most. They then responded by planting 14 fruit trees -- as well as herbs -- in the common area of a multifamily residential development. The CDC also installed lighting, benches and other amenities in the space, allowing residents to gather there.

Chicago, IL

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: The El Paseo Community Garden in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood added a new gathering space, dubbed El Convivio or The Gathering. The goal of the project was to make the garden more accessible to Latino older adults living in nearby apartment buildings. Improvements to the space include an outdoor kitchen and patio with a fire pit, ADA-compliant seating, walking paths and an accessible planting station. Planters at the site were specifically designed to grow culturally relevant produce, including tomatoes, peppers, garlic and onions. The picnic area's stucco and ceramic tiles mimic designs seen in Mexican haciendas. Garden leaders partnered with nonprofit architectural firm Human Scale to involve garden members in the space's design and volunteers from the neighborhood installed the new amenities. As El Paseo's leadership finalized El Convivio, they also worked with the City of Chicago to secured additional land to expand the garden.

Union, SC

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: Low-income older adults in Union County faced food insecurity and limited access to fresh produce, especially those who were homebound or had disabilities. To address this, the organization distributed more than 400 bags of fresh produce and installed accessible raised garden beds and ADA-compliant garden boxes. The project also launched a community garden and partnered with local groups to expand outreach. Residents expressed appreciation, saying "this is such a blessing," and "the new garden gives me a place to go." Plans are underway to add gardens in all four municipalities to sustain and grow the effort.