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Project GRACE (2022) Print
2022 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Community Gardens
└ Community Gardens
Older adults in Scarborough face challenges staying active and managing heating costs on fixed incomes. Project GRACE expanded three community gardens, adding 15 new beds and growing over 800 pounds of produce for local food pantries. It also hosted a "Snug It Up" workshop for 75 older adults, offering weatherization tips, free DIY supplies and emergency fuel assistance for dozens of households. The gardens fostered social engagement and healthy eating, while the workshop helped residents prepare for winter. "I applaud the essential work... that helps our community to stay comfortably warm and snugged up this winter," one attendee wrote.
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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Grand Rapids, MI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Long Michigan winters left older adults at Reflections Apartments isolated and unable to garden, a key source of connection and activity. Dwelling Place built an ADA-compliant greenhouse through five volunteer events, engaging many community members and local partners. The space extends the growing season and supports a seed-starting program led by residents. Older adults now plan to grow culturally relevant vegetables and share stories tied to gardening traditions, turning the greenhouse into a year-round hub for wellness and social connection.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Fredericksburg, VA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: The initiative will create an accessible mulch trail and community garden beds within a protected natural area. These improvements will open a previously hard-to-reach space, allowing residents to enjoy gardening and walking in a safer setting.
Phoenix, AZ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: This project created waist-high, raised-bed planters for the Society of St. Vincent De Paul's urban farm. Designed to hold up in the Arizona sun and heat, the raised beds sit at the farm's entrance. Project organizers also planted shade trees and installed benches to better serve the garden's older adult volunteers and people with disabilities. A new chalk board also helps remind garden volunteers about progress on day-to-day tasks. Project organizers report that since the upgrades, many older volunteers have renewed interest in working in the garden.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
South Portland, ME
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Trails
Description: The Greenbelt Trail, which serves pedestrians and cyclists, crosses several busy streets in South Portland. To make those crossings safer, Age-Friendly South Portland conducted a monthlong tactical urbanism project. They painted road delineators to separate cyclists from traffic, along with high-visibility signage to alert drivers to the crossings. Curb bump-outs decreased the distance needed for trail users to cross the street. While the fixtures were temporary, organizers gathered feedback from residents during the demonstration, which they featured in a presentation to the public works department. Project organizers report the project spurred the City to make permanent changes to one crossing.
South Portland, ME
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety
Description: The Green Belt Trail use surged, but speeding bikes and unclear crossings made the trail risky for older walkers. The project installed dynamic speed signs to slow cyclists, and added high-visibility crosswalk signage and temporary traffic-calming measures. It also distributed reflective gear at a local resource fair. Trail users stated that cars notice the crosswalks now and are more likely to stop, and that the pedestrian experience is now far more enjoyable.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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