Pablo, MT

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: On the Flathead Reservation, many older adults face food insecurity and chronic health issues tied to poor nutrition. The project installed eight gardening boxes, purchased lumber for 20 more and provided seeds and soil. Volunteers built boxes and planted vegetables, creating spaces for growing food and teaching traditional preservation. The garden now supplies fresh produce to older adult meal programs and homebound older adults, improving nutrition and reducing isolation. "I was able to plant my salad vegetables with my grandchildren... They enjoyed watering, picking and tasting what we grew," one resident said.

Phoenix, AZ

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: This project created waist-high, raised-bed planters for the Society of St. Vincent De Paul's urban farm. Designed to hold up in the Arizona sun and heat, the raised beds sit at the farm's entrance. Project organizers also planted shade trees and installed benches to better serve the garden's older adult volunteers and people with disabilities. A new chalk board also helps remind garden volunteers about progress on day-to-day tasks. Project organizers report that since the upgrades, many older volunteers have renewed interest in working in the garden.

St. George, AK

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: On remote St. George Island, access to food is challenging. Grocery shipments arrive by plane, which are sometimes grounded due to inclement weather. This makes food insecurity a concern, especially among lower-income residents. Organizers with Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association hoped to help the community grow its own produce. They renovated a rundown greenhouse, adding a new door, equipment and raised garden beds. Local children contributed by creating a wooden sign for the space. Additionally, project organizers installed seating, creating a community gathering space. Organizers plan to continue to upgrade the greenhouse, which provides vegetables for congregate meals for community elders.