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Regenerative Roots Association (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Community Gardens
└ Community Gardens
Nashua has a large migrant population from Zambia, Burundi and Honduras, many of were farmers in their native counties. The ReGeerative Roots Association hoped to give them the opportunity to use their skills in their new home. The organization's ReGen Roots program, which provides free community garden plots to immigrant families. To give more families the opportunity to grow culturally familiar foods, this project expanded the garden's footprint by two acres. Participants can sell any extra produce, supplementing their household income. Additionally, community garden members donate ten percent of their peak harvest to two nonprofits that combat food insecurity in Nashua.
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San Juan, PR
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Older residents in a low-income area faced food insecurity and lacked accessible gardening options. The project installed raised beds with self-watering systems and added benches, making gardening easier for volunteers with mobility challenges. Free herbal medicine workshops taught residents to create remedies from garden plants, fostering engagement and self-sufficiency. The garden now supports regular harvests and volunteer leadership, with plans for home gardens tied to new housing projects. "It is heartwarming watching volunteers gush about food grown here," one participant said, reflecting the sense of community the effort created.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Raymond, ME
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: The Raymond Village Library hoped to create an accessible community amenity to foster intergenerational relationships. So they worked to create a community garden. Volunteers installed benches, shade structures and solar lighting, as well as a graded path and waist-high planters designed to be accessible for gardeners with disabilities. To make garden upkeep easier, they also added rain barrels and a drip irrigation system.
Winchester, ID
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Winchester lacked a shared outdoor space for growing food and connecting residents, leaving older adults with few options for fresh produce or social engagement. The library converted its patio into the town's first community garden with raised beds and ADA-accessible benches. Volunteers donated thousands of seeds, and programs featured cooking classes using garden harvests. The garden now serves as a hub for learning and connection, drawing older adults who were not regular library patrons. Produce is shared with residents and donated to the local food bank, ensuring lasting community benefit.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Dunstable, MA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Walkability
Description: With no sidewalks in its historic center, even short walks to the library required police escorts, leaving older adults and children at risk. To address this, the town led three walk audits and community meetings to map hazards and revive plans for a sidewalk linking the center to the library. The audits also identified informal paths for conversion to accessible trails and informed updated design documents for a larger network. Officials are now pursuing state funding for new connectors.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Litchfield, NH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: At Darrah Pond, older adults and residents with mobility challenges had limited ways to fish safely and comfortably, even though the park was a popular gathering place. Without an accessible platform, some residents could not reach the water or participate alongside family members. The Litchfield Recreation Commission addressed this by installing a removable, accessible fishing dock with a ramp, bench and safety railings. Volunteers completed the assembly and site work, creating a stable place to fish, sit and spend time by the pond. The dock was used almost immediately, expanding access for residents who use walkers and others who need a place to rest while fishing. Participation in fishing events increased, and the space began fostering interaction across generations as older adults shared tips and stories with younger residents.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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