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2022 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Community Gardens
└ Community Gardens
West Philadelphia lacked accessible green spaces, leaving older adults and marginalized residents without safe areas for recreation and social connection. The Park in a Truck initiative partnered with LandHealth Institute to build four demonstration gardens-Natural, Edible, Sanctuary and Event-at a former vacant lot. Volunteers installed raised beds, pollinator plants and seating amenable to people age 50-plus. The project united older adults and youth to create inclusive spaces and provided hands-on education about gardening and pollination. One participant shared, "Building demonstration gardens helped me learn what I can plant in other areas of my neighborhood." The gardens now serve as models for future community-led green spaces.
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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Baltimore, MD
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Older adults in a Baltimore's North Avenue neighborhood needed an accessible place to gather. The project transformed the Red Shed garden with a concrete ADA walkway, a pergola for shade and lighting and spaces for community mosaics. Volunteers created a welcoming event area that now hosts gatherings and cultural celebrations. One participant said, "It means the world to me to be part of building this. We have helped our neighborhood and made something beautiful!"
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Chesapeake, VA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Residents in a low-income Chesapeake neighborhood lacked access to fresh food and safe spaces for social engagement. The project created an accessible community garden at a local library with raised beds, adaptive tools, wheelchair-friendly seating and Mobi-mat paths. Volunteers hosted a "Golden Age Garden Party" featuring health screenings, cooking demonstrations and chair yoga. The garden now provides fresh produce and a welcoming space for older adults to gather and exercise. "I now have access to fresh vegetables in my own backyard," said one resident.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Hartford, CT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: KNOX rebuilt and upgraded the Hartford's Broad Street Community Garden to allow people of all ages and abilities to easily garden there. They added 22 raised garden beds, making plots more accessible to children, people with disabilities and older residents. Additionally, the organization hired a contractor to repair a garden fence and purchased a picnic table and a pergola -- a structure to create shade for gardeners. Since then, KNOX continues to create gardening opportunities for Hartford residents. The Hartford Courant reported in 2021 that KNOX manages 20 community gardens with a cumulative five acres of space. These include nearly 660 plots, each with an average size of 12 square feet.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Philadelphia, PA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Resources about housing options, safety and services
Description: An eviction prevention pilot program enabled tenants and landlords to resolve disputes before they escalated to formal eviction filings. The City of Philadelphia's two-month program provided mediation, financial assistance, information and referrals to help landlords and tenants reach mutually agreeable, out-of-court solutions. To do this, the City worked with partner agencies to train 10 experienced mediators in landlord-tenant law. The program also set up meetings between tenant advocates and tenants prior to mediation to assess their situation and offer advice. All participating landlords and tenants reported they were satisfied or extremely satisfied with the pilot. Moving forward, the City plans to use the results of this pilot as a model for a 12-month mediation program. In the long term, the City expects to see fewer evictions, reduced displacement and cost savings for landlords, property managers and the local homeless services system.
Philadelphia, PA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Housing Choice Design Competitions
Description: Philadelphia's shortage of affordable housing and restrictive zoning left older adults with few options to age in place. The Discovering Philadelphia's Missing Middle project engaged residents through workshops and surveys to shape designs for accessory dwelling units and other housing types. It also hosted a citywide design competition to spark dialogue. The effort raised awareness, produced advocacy materials and built momentum for policy reform. One steering committee member said, "Convenings like this are essential...we need this type of comprehensive thinking in Philadelphia."
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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