Greensboro, NC

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: Creativity as a Catalyst for Inclusion, a project of the Creative Aging Network, worked to create a community garden and outdoor classroom for community events. Assembling a team of volunteers and community activists, they cleaned up the grounds, built raised garden beds, created walking paths and planted native vegetation. A local artisan created custom benches for the garden, created from the wood of a fallen tree on the property. To bring people into the space, local artists led a series of workshops onsite. Project organizers say activities programmed for the garden are meant to be inclusive and appeal to people of all ages and abilities.

Lawton, OK

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: This project will create a community garden where Comanche elders can grow vegetables and flowers. Participating gardeners will plan, tend and harvest their plots and distribute their produce to the community.

Germantown, MD

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: Food insecurity and isolation affected residents near the hospital, especially older adults who faced barriers to healthy eating and physical activity. To address this, Holy Cross Health created an ADA-compliant community garden with 19 plots, two wheelchair-accessible tables and a Harvest Garden for donations and education. The program served 19 families, donated 205 pounds of produce and offered bilingual gardening classes and seedlings. Participants reported eating more fruits and vegetables and feeling more confident growing food. Plans include expanding the garden and partnering with schools and other care programs to broaden impact.