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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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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.
Forman, ND
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Limited access kept residents from fully using Forman's community garden. The city moved the garden to a central park near assisted living and added raised beds, benches and a picnic table to make it more inviting. The new location encourages families and older adults to garden and gather, while added seating creates a comfortable resting spot for visitors. One resident said, "I love the new garden boxes. They look great and are in the perfect location."
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Portsmouth, NH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Residents of Atlantic Heights Senior Housing faced barriers to fresh food and outdoor activity, leaving many isolated. Gather partnered with the housing authority to build four raised garden beds, install a watering system and provide seasonal plants. Twenty residents helped plan, plant and maintain vegetables, herbs and flowers. The gardens now offer a sustainable source of produce, improve nutrition and foster social connection while removing mobility barriers. Success has inspired plans for gardening workshops and expansion to other housing sites.
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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