Rincon, PR

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: To help community members reconnect after COVID-19 shutdowns, ACOMER Puerto Rico created community gardens at several centers for older adults. The organization purchased raised garden beds for each site and provided seeds for planting. Additionally, ACOMERPR held seminars on gardening techniques and recruited agronomists to provide technical assistance onsite. Local leaders manage each garden and organize group gardening sessions. Project organizers say they hope the garden plots allow residents to grow their own produce, increasing the community's access to nutritious food. This supports ACOMERPR's wider mission to offer food and medical resources to at-risk older adults and people displaced by natural disasters.

Ponce, PR

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: Ponce -- Puerto Rico's second largest city -- is recovering after two hurricanes and several earthquakes damaged its downtown, leaving many families homeless. As part of reconstruction efforts, City leaders are focusing on bolstering community arts and activating public spaces. To make the downtown core more inviting, the City improved a walkway that connects the Plaza del Mercado Isabel II with the local marketplace. To prepare the site, City staff made infrastructure upgrades and revamped landscaping. They then added tables and benches to the site, allowing visitors to gather to enjoy live music, play board games and exercise. The City also installed a platform where artisans can display their work.