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Mission of Hope (2023) Print
2023 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Community Health and Economic Empowerment
└ Addressing community health
└ Addressing community health
The grant will bolster the mission's food giveaway program, which provides groceries to more than 1,000 local families, 80 percent of whom are older residents. The money will be used for needed items such as grocery carts and commercial-grade shelving to expand the warehouse's capacity
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Union City, GA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Addressing community health
Description: Christian City, a 500-acre charitable campus near the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, provides housing and other support for people who are in need. The organization offers affordable housing older adults, as well as assisted living, skilled nursing and memory care. To encourage older people to lead healthier, more active lives, it operates a Senior Wellness program. The initiative also helps stave off social isolation, which cant contribute to physical and mental decline. This project added mile marker posts, a message board, side markers and signs identifying walking paths on the campus. In addition, Christian City provided residents with walkers with built-in pedometers. Following these improvements, the organization reported a 20 percent increase in participation in its walking program. Today, Christian city offers an array of other senior fitness activities, including Tai Chi and chair aerobics.
Howard County, MD
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Addressing community health
Description: Many Howard County residents experience food insecurity. To provide non-perishable groceries to families in need, the Indian Cultural Association of Howard County set up five Little Free Pantries in the towns of Columbia, Ellicott City and Woodbine. Volunteers stock the pantries twice a week, and each operates on a give-and-take basis. In the first year after their installation, the pantries supplied more than 3,000 pounds of food to residents.
Springfield, IL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Addressing community health
Description: A new online order system and optional curbside pickup at Springfield's Old Capitol Farmers Market reduced shoppers' risk of COVID-19 exposure. The improvements ensured that older adults and SNAP users could access fresh and healthy food from the popular market. Downtown Springfield Inc. replaced SNAP tokens with Healthy Ways scannable cards, which limit the need for physical contact at checkout. Following the change, the market saw an increase in SNAP transactions. In addition, more than 150 community members took advantage of the curbside option, which reduced in-person foot traffic and provided a safe shopping alternative to those most at risk.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Birmingham, AL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Walkability
Description: The project will increase walkability in Birmingham neighborhoods by using walk audits to evaluate them. The data will be shared with community groups so they can see the challenges that residents aged 50 face, and highlight the need for safer, more accessible streets, sidewalks, paths and trails.
Birmingham, AL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: This project expanded community garden facilities by renovating an existing trailer to provide restrooms, an office and a classroom/meeting space. The upgrades provide indoor space where Bush Hills Connections can host gardening classes. The garden also received new pet waste stations and hand and equipment sanitation stations. The garden -- once an abandoned school property -- is located within a food desert and provides fresh produce to 200 families. Additionally, it is a popular meeting place, particularly with older adults.
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