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Salt Lake County Aging and Adult Services (2018) Print
2018 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
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Public places
└ Community Gardens
└ Community Gardens
Salt Lake City's Taylorsville neighborhood is home to refugee families from Syria, Myanmar and Afghanistan. Many new residents, however, struggle with social isolation. To help people feel connected, Salt Lake County created a community garden at the local senior center. Volunteers built four raised beds and the County provided ergonomic gardening equipment, seeds and starter plants. Project organizers say the opportunity to garden gives older adults -- who were often farmers and ranchers in their native countries -- a renewed sense of purpose. Gardening also allows them to form relationships with their neighbors.
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Seattle, WA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: This project spruced up the rooftop Pike Place Market Secret Garden, allowing volunteer gardeners to produce more fruits and vegetables there. All produce grown in the garden is provided to the Pike Market Food Bank, with nearly 500 fresh herbs and vegetables donated each year. In addition, the garden hosts intergenerational activities organized by a nearby assisted living facility, a childcare center and a preschool. The Pike Market Food Bank also received an AARP Community Challenge grant in 2019, which allowed it to install directional signage to help visitors find its hard-to-reach location. Established in 1982, the Pike Place Market Foundation aims to help low-income and unhoused Seattle residents who live in the neighborhood.
Chelsea, ME
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Older adults in Chelsea had few accessible spaces for social connection or healthy activities, leaving many isolated. The project transformed a schoolyard into an intergenerational garden with eight wheelchair-accessible raised beds, a convertible bench and a canopy. Residents and students planted, harvested and shared produce, which supplied the local food bank and monthly luncheons. Donations and repeat visits showed strong community engagement. Future plans include expanding raised beds and adding a permanent structure for year-round use.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Moab, UT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Older adults in Moab wanted to volunteer in the community garden but faced discomfort with tasks like weeding. The project purchased kneeling mats, mobile benches and other tools to make gardening easier and hosted Weed n Feed events where volunteers worked together and shared meals. These changes opened the door for more older adults to participate, fostering social connections and encouraging physical activity. Organizers expect the improvements to help reduce isolation and keep volunteers coming back.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Salt Lake City, UT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety
Description: Older adults in Salt Lake City often feel overlooked in transit planning, leaving them isolated in neighborhoods divided by highways and poor air quality. HEAL addressed this by hosting walk audits and listening sessions, creating a toolkit for residents, and partnering with the transit authority to teach residents how to use buses and apply for reduced fares. These efforts amplified older voices in city studies and boosted independence by showing practical routes and services. One participant said learning about a nearby bus line made them feel less dependent on rides from family and friends.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Salt Lake City, UT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Improved wayfinding
Description: As part of larger Complete Streets efforts to make local roadways friendlier to pedestrians and cyclists, Sweet Streets installed wayfinding signage throughout Salt Lake City. The signs display the distances to nearby amenities such as shops and parks, as well as the time needed to reach them on foot or by bike. Project organizers hope the initiative encourages residents to explore their community without getting in a car. Additionally, Sweet Streets held a series of outreach events to engage residents on street safety and design, especially as the nonprofit advocates for lowered speed limits on many roads.
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