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Village of Rye Brook (2024) Print
2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Community Gardens
└ Community Gardens
Many older residents faced food insecurity as pre-made meals became costly and often spoiled, leaving those in low-income housing without reliable nutrition. The Village transformed an unused patio into a handicapped-accessible Giving Garden with raised beds and seating, enabling volunteers to grow fresh vegetables and herbs. Older adults now receive free produce and enjoy a welcoming space for meals and socializing. The garden also offers therapeutic benefits. One participant shared that she reminisced about gardening with her father as she worked in the new garden, and was already committed to working in the garden next spring.
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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Seaford, DE
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Residents lacked a shared space to grow food and connect socially, and older adults faced barriers to gardening. The project added large beds for families, a wraparound bench for gathering and braille signage to make the garden accessible. Volunteers hosted monthly classes and provided shared tools, while soaker hoses ensured easier watering for older gardeners. These changes created a welcoming space where neighbors meet and older adults garden comfortably. A blind child exploring the Veterans Garden with braille signs showed how the project fosters inclusion and intergenerational connection.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Rolette County, ND
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Project organizers planted fruit trees and native plants, enhancing a new garden on the Turtle Mountain Chippewa powwow grounds. The community gardening space featured turtle-shaped pots, which hold flowers and plants -- such as sweet grass and silver sage -- needed for traditional medicines. The Committee hopes fruit from the trees will feed community members and visitors to the annual Powwow celebration. Additionally, the popularity of the turtle-themed planters inspired a fundraising idea. Powwow organizers plan to create similar planters to sell in the future, with proceeds going toward running the Powwow.
South Coffeyville, OK
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: South Coffeyville lacked spaces for cultural engagement and healthy food access, leaving older adults isolated and youth disconnected from heritage. To address this, the organization created a year-round community garden using Cherokee Nation heirloom seeds for a Three Sisters planting, adding raised beds, benches and solar lighting. Elders taught youth traditional gardening methods, fostering intergenerational bonds and reducing isolation. Harvests included corn, squash, tomatoes and herbs, and plans for food preservation workshops will extend the impact. At the ribbon-cutting, one attendee called it "a wonderful way for both our elders and youth to work together."
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Stamford, CT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: To make Fairgate Farm more accessible for people of all ages and abilities, project organizers extended an existing ADA-compliant crushed stone walkway leading from the farm's entrance to its market. They also made gathering at the farm more comfortable by installing picnic tables, benches, a bike rack and raised gardening beds. The urban garden and community gathering space on Stamford's West Side hosts programming for community members, from cooking demos to gardening workshops and cooking classes. Fairgate Farm attracts volunteers from across the community, who grow and distribute more than 5,000 pounds of organic fruits and vegetables each year. The produce is then donated to low-income volunteers, their families and local hunger relief charities.
Glen Cove, NY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Transportation Other
Description: As transit systems moved schedules, fares and maps online, many older adults in Glen Cove struggled to use buses and trains without digital skills. Age-Friendly Glen Cove addressed that barrier through hands-on workshops that paired transit app training with real trips on local buses and rail. Older adults received one-on-one help from trained volunteers, including youth tutors, and practiced planning routes and paying fares in real time. One couple said learning the app gave them confidence to travel together by train for the first time in years. By combining digital training with practical experience and local advocacy, the project expanded mobility options and helped residents stay connected to daily activities and community life.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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