See More Projects Like This One

Omaha, NE

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: Two Omaha neighborhoods lacked access to fresh produce and safe outdoor spaces, leaving older adults with few options to garden or connect. Conservation Nebraska built eight raised garden beds and four benches from recycled plastic lumber, making gardening accessible and sustainable. Five community events and 36 volunteers, including many age 50-plus, helped transform vacant lots into vibrant spaces. These improvements will last for years, promoting health and reducing isolation by giving older adults a place to grow food and build relationships.

Findlay, OH

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: This project will create an accessible garden area in a community garden with raised beds and gathering spaces designed for residents age 50-plus. It aims to promote food security and intergenerational engagement.

Ellington, CT

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: 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.

Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects

Saint Paul, MN

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: HomeFit Modifications

Description: This project will have staff visit the homes of older adults in need to provide small-scale repairs and make safety improvements.

Saint Paul, MN

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020

Project Category: Resources about housing options, safety and services

Description: To support its efforts advocating for housing justice in St. Paul's East Side, the East Side Freedom Library hired a program director, expanded its volunteer base and recruited and trained interns. The organization also hosted events focused on tenants' rights -- as well as a local housing summit -- and conducted a survey of older adults' housing needs. Project organizers say these actions helped increase community support for the Library's advocacy and allowed it to expand its policy work.

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