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Seaford Community Garden (2024) Print
2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Community Gardens
└ Community Gardens
Residents lacked a shared space to grow food and connect socially, and older adults faced barriers to gardening. The project added large beds for families, a wraparound bench for gathering and braille signage to make the garden accessible. Volunteers hosted monthly classes and provided shared tools, while soaker hoses ensured easier watering for older gardeners. These changes created a welcoming space where neighbors meet and older adults garden comfortably. A blind child exploring the Veterans Garden with braille signs showed how the project fosters inclusion and intergenerational connection.
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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Pittsburgh, PA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Grounded Strategies transformed a vacant lot in Pittsburgh's Central Hill District into a community garden. The organization relied on what is calls its ReClaim Ambassador model, which connects experts with vulnerable communities to repurpose vacant land and revitalize neighborhoods. To create the Peace, Love and Friendship Garden, the ambassador for this project worked with corporate donors, volunteers and nonprofit partners. Meant to offset the closure of a local grocery store, the garden features 72 raised beds where residents can grow vegetables. Grounded Strategies is now working with partner organization Grow Pittsburgh to create programming for the space.
Henderson, NV
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: This project created Henderson's first public community garden. Originally a demonstration garden with six raised beds, the City converted the plot at Heritage Park Senior Facility the guidance of Garden Farms of Nevada, whose mission is to help desert communities learn how to grow their own food. Improvements included new drip-irrigation tubing and fresh topsoil. Project organizers say a key goal was fostering community and giving older adults a change to socialize. In February 2020, the City held a planting party. After that, older adults began to meet at the garden, where they learned to grow produce to share with their neighbors. Although gardening activity paused during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the City was able to harvest and donate crops to Henderson's Senior Grocery Program, which distributed the produce to local older adults.
Reno, NV
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: This project will provide fresh produce and educational programs for a diverse community in Reno. The garden features accessible, raised beds for older adults and hosts nutrition workshops, promoting health and community connection.
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Seaford, DE
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: The project tackled the need for a more inclusive garden space and waived seasonal fees for local veterans to encourage participation. Grant funds added shaded seating, reading areas, accessible tools and a drip irrigation system that streamlined watering and improved efficiency. A permanent Little Free Library now invites neighbors to linger and connect, while the irrigation upgrade saves volunteers hours of work and sets the stage for new gardens that will supply fresh produce to local pantries and shelters.
Georgetown, DE
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public spaces improvements to increase high-speed internet availability
Description: Older adults in Georgetown needed digital literacy skills to manage daily tasks and stay connected, a gap widened by the pandemic. The library converted a storage space into a computer lab and offered classes in English and Spanish, teaching email, internet basics and office software. More than 40 certificates were awarded, and participants often practiced outside class, boosting library use. Graduates reported confidence in using technology for work and personal needs. One participant said she was grateful for the experience, showing how the program opened doors for older adults and strengthened community ties.
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