Grand Rapids, MI

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: Long Michigan winters left older adults at Reflections Apartments isolated and unable to garden, a key source of connection and activity. Dwelling Place built an ADA-compliant greenhouse through five volunteer events, engaging many community members and local partners. The space extends the growing season and supports a seed-starting program led by residents. Older adults now plan to grow culturally relevant vegetables and share stories tied to gardening traditions, turning the greenhouse into a year-round hub for wellness and social connection.

Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.

Providence, RI

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: To give residents of the Amos House shelter program opportunities to socialize, as well as access to fresh produce, the Southside Community Land Trust created a community garden at the St. Martin De Porres Center. Participants in the Trust's youth program worked to build raised garden beds onsite, added seating and painted murals. To honor residents' African, Caribbean and Central American roots, organizers chose a tropical theme for the artwork. The effort was intergenerational -- older adult residents supervised the youth workers as they planted herbs and vegetables. Today, Amos House residents are involved in all aspects of tending the garden, from planting to harvesting and meal preparation. Additionally, the nonprofit's soup kitchen uses vegetables from the garden to provide tens of thousands of meals to food insecure families each year.

Columbia, SC

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: In Columbia, many older adults want to grow and preserve food but face tight budgets, limited space and few chances to learn practical skills alongside others. NoMa STEAM addressed this by expanding hands-on and virtual programming at the Bridge of Hope Community Garden. Older adults joined garden talks and food preservation workshops. Volunteer days focused on low-maintenance growing, composting and safe canning. One participant said simple tips, like new ways to prepare harvested vegetables, helped them use what they grew at home. Over time, the project strengthened confidence, encouraged regular physical activity and deepened connections between older adults and younger volunteers. By anchoring consistent programming in the garden, the space was reinforced as a lasting neighborhood resource for food knowledge, skill building and social connection.

Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.