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Northwest Neighborhood Environmental Organization Inc. (2018) Print
2018 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Community Gardens
└ Community Gardens
To combat food insecurity, improve neighborhood safety and encourage residents to spend time outdoors, this project enhanced an existing community garden. Over several community work days volunteers installed raised beds, benches, a picnic table and portable toilet facilities. Organizers hope the improvements make the garden more accessible to people of all ages -- including older adults living in nearby apartment complexes.
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Providence, RI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Older adults facing food insecurity and contaminated soil needed a safe way to grow produce and connect with others. Teaching straw bale gardening gave residents a low impact method that required no heavy tools or bending. Volunteers and older adults prepared the bales, planted vegetables and shared harvests, strengthening ties and reducing isolation. Returning participants showed how meaningful the project had become. Some participants watched produce closely, hoping to pick it when ripe. Preparing the site for next spring ensures continuity and encourages participants to try the method at home.
Newark, NJ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: This intergenerational gardening project will provide girls aged 8 to 18 with an opportunity to pair up with elderly residents to garden together and grow produce in an area that is considered a food desert.
Hill City, SD
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: This project installed cisterns to collect rainwater at the church's community garden, increasing the number of plots and, hence, the number food distribution sites it serves. Additionally, the church held workshops on gardening and the use of fresh produce to encourage others to grow their own food.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Roanoke, VA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Housing Choice Design Competitions
Description: The project will stage an accessory dwelling unit design competition that will increase public awareness of this housing option. The competition will result in a set of plans that homeowners and developers can use to build an ADU on a single-family residential lot.
Roanoke, VA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: This project will make temporary changes along Ferdinand Avenue to demonstrate how streetscape design can reduce speeding and improve bicycle and pedestrian safety. The corridor connects two neighborhoods to a recreation center, community garden and business district.
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