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Town of Ellington (2024) Print
2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Community Gardens
└ Community Gardens
Seasonal gardening left older adults without access to fresh produce or the social and health benefits of tending plants. To address this, the town built a 10x16 greenhouse at the local Senior Center, creating year-round opportunities for gardening and learning. Volunteers installed shelving and padding, and seniors began growing vegetables for the center's lunch program and local food pantries. The greenhouse now serves as a hub for workshops and social connection. One gardener said the space encouraged her to use available transportation, helping her engage more in community life.
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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Anderson, SC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: To expose locals to art and grow food for people in need, Anderson Arts Center beautified its campus by creating a new mural and community garden. The first mural in Anderson, it depicts a rabbit alongside a colorful fruit and vegetables. Since its completion, it has inspired other local organizations to create their own murals around town. Project organizers say within the garden's first year, the Center taught nearly 500 children about growing fresh vegetables. The Arts Center, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022, hosts gallery exhibitions featuring regional, national and international artists, orchestrates downtown public arts projects and is home to a summer arts camp and arts school for children and adults.
Rugby, ND
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: To help Rugby's residents access fresh produce, the Geographical Center Historical Society worked to turn an underused outdoor space into a fruit orchard. The space sits on the campus of the Prairie Village Museum, which is located in a food desert. To activate the space, Society reseeded the grass and planted fruit trees and shrubs. They also installed ADA-accessible park benches, tables and bike racks. Project organizers plan to invite students to the orchard for demonstrations on techniques for picking, washing and preserving the fruits.
San Francisco, CA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: When the Florence Fang Asian Community Garden opened in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood in 2014, it focused on serving Asian immigrant elders and filled a need for green space and fresh food. This project expanded the garden, adding 3,000 square feet of gardening space and making it the second largest urban farm in San Francisco. The additional space allowed gardeners to try new techniques -- such as row planting -- that increased the garden's yields. Additionally, organizers upgraded the garden's compost system and set up beehives to help with pollinating crops. The larger harvest allowed garden organizers to distribute four tons of produce annually to local families in needs, including culturally relevant foods such as bok choy and Chinese chives.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Tolland, CT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: To give older adults in Tolland an outdoor space to gather and spend time, the Tolland Conservation Commission created a new park. The Commission worked with landscape architecture students at University of Connecticut to design Wanat Senior Park, a 13-acre area with accessible woodland trails, space for stargazing, a wheelchair-accessible meadow trail and meditative labyrinth. Engagement with older adults, including a design charrette and guided site tour, informed plans for the park. Volunteers of all ages planted vegetation and helped install hardscaping. The park features a pollinator garden, ADA-compliant benches and a variety of native plants. Public art -- including a sculpture of a heron and a sundial -- welcome visitors to the space.
Vernon, CT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: A vacant courtyard at the Senior Center offered little value while older adults had limited access to fresh produce and social engagement. The project transformed the space with eight raised garden beds, trellises and an accessible walkway. About 15 volunteers planned and maintain the gardens, which will supply vegetables for meals and share extras with members and local shelters. Participants expressed excitement about gardening again, anticipating healthier meals and renewed opportunities for connection and activity.
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