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Shanti Community Farms Inc. (2023) Print
2023 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Community Gardens
└ Community Gardens
Shanti Community Farms created a Nepali garden to give older adults in Akron's diverse neighborhoods a place to grow familiar foods and reconnect with cultural traditions. Elevated beds made gardening easier, and families cultivated potatoes, mustard greens and Asian eggplant while preparing traditional dishes for picnics and farmers markets. The project boosted physical activity, improved diets and generated income through sales. It also strengthened intergenerational ties as grandparents gardened alongside grandchildren, reducing isolation and fostering community pride. Plans to expand into an education center promise lasting benefits.
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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Eufaula, AL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: When a local garden closed during the pandemic, older adults and low-income families lost access to fresh produce and a vital community resource. To fill the gap, volunteers created a new garden with raised beds for vegetables and flowers plus accessible benches. They partnered with Twelve Stones to revive gardening efforts and teach maintenance skills for sustainability. The garden now provides nutritious food for families and older adults, supports healthy living and reconnects residents after years without a shared space. Volunteers said they they truly appreciate something in the community that could help provide fresh vegetables for local families.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Fries, VA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Older adult residents in Fries faced limited access to fresh produce and few opportunities for physical activity, often having to choose between healthy food and fitness. The town transformed an empty lot beside the farmers market into a garden with six raised beds, landscaping and ADA-compliant benches. Materials for soil and tools were purchased to prepare for spring planting. The project sparked excitement among group members, creating a space for social engagement and healthier eating. Plans include annual expansion and community fundraisers. One participant noted the garden will help them stay active and afford nutritious food.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Duluth, MN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Older adults faced barriers to gardening and social activities at a former urban college farm due to limited accessibility. Ecolibrium3 addressed this by building four raised beds with adaptive tools and hosting art and storytelling workshops that brought residents together. Advisory meetings informed plans for ADA-friendly features like shade structures and pathways. The project strengthened intergenerational connections and set the stage for a fully inclusive farm that promotes mobility, health and community engagement.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Akron, OH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Walk Audits
Description: West Akron's aging sidewalks and crossings made walking risky for older adults, especially in areas built for vehicle flow instead of pedestrian safety. Habitat trained 13 volunteers to conduct walk audits along 16 routes after sessions with city and public health partners, giving residents firsthand insight into planning and walkability challenges. Volunteers found widespread sidewalk damage, poor lighting and limited signage. One noted seeing a wheelchair user traveling in the street because the sidewalk was too broken to use. Their findings now guide discussions with officials and strengthen long-term resident advocacy for safer routes.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Akron, OH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Accessibility of amenities
Description: Akron's North Hill neighborhood is home to many Asian and Pacific Islander immigrants and refugees displaced by famine and war. Many immigrant families rent garden plots at Akron Cooperative Farms, with multiple generations working together to grow produce. To better meet the community's needs, Asian Services in Action constructed an enclosed pavilion for the cooperative's neighborhood farmers market. Asian Services in Action partnered with TRY Ministries -- which provides jobs skills training to formerly incarcerated people -- and the City of Akron stepped in to lay a level, concrete floor for the space. Replacing tents, the pavilion offers vendors and shoppers protection from inclement weather, as well as shade on sunny days. This makes the market more accessible, giving allowing residents to purchase culturally important fresh vegetables, which are often unavailable at local grocery stores. Project organizers say the pavilion will also offer a venue for community events.
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