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Woodbury Thrives (2024) Print
2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Community Gardens
└ Community Gardens
To address the lack of gardening space for residents in apartments and facilities for older adults, the community garden expanded from 48 to 96 plots and added 35 raised beds plus 12 ADA-compliant wheelchair-accessible beds. Volunteers, including an Eagle Scout, built the beds, and educational sessions engaged older adults and others in the community. The garden now promotes healthy eating, mental well-being and social ties, with over 120 pounds of produce being donated to a local food shelf. One gardener called the raised beds "a perfect solution" for older adults and people with disabilities. She shared her excitement about growing vegetables again.
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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Philadelphia, PA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Philadelphia's Hunter Park neighborhood is considered a food desert. The Food Trust's community orchard, garden and farmer's market give local families a way to access fresh fruits and vegetables. To raise awareness, Food Trust workers handed out fliers and put up banners directing residents to the market. They also put on a fall festival, which featured a series of walking tours of the gardening facilities, which are located within a neighborhood park. Volunteers distributed coupons to attendees, allowing them to purchase fruits and vegetables grown onsite. Additionally, the Food Trust provided tour participants with garden kits and encouraged them to join the volunteer-led community garden. Since the publicity efforts, project organizers report a boost in garden membership.
Luverne, MN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Project Food Forest installed three sculptural trellises at the Prairie Ally Outdoor Center. Home to the community's food forest, garden beds at the five-acre site feature edible and medicinal plants. To commemorate Luverne's agricultural history, artists constructed each trellis out of old farm and garden tools. Project organizers also added signs displaying the common and scientific names for plants in the forest, as well as two picnic tables. Located near downtown, the site is accessible by a popular biking and walking path. The forest is open to the public daily and the Outdoor Center offers guided tours and workshops onsite.
Greenville, MS
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: As part of efforts to transform a vacant lot into a community garden, Greenville's Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church installed a new fence and hoop houses at the site. The hoop houses cover the beds and keep them warm, allowing gardeners to grow produce through the winter months. In addition, the church installed a sign to inform passersby about the Third and Spruce Community Garden. Since these improvements, project organizers made an agreement with a local food pantry to provide fresh produce to individuals and families facing food insecurity. During the 2021-2022 growing season, the garden produced about 900 pounds of fruits and vegetables. The Church also plans to hold gardening skills workshops and healthy food demonstrations for the community.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Saint Paul, MN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: HomeFit Modifications
Description: Small but critical home safety issues left many older adults at risk of falls and struggling with daily tasks. North East Seniors for Better Living launched an in-home repair and safety inspection program by hiring a dedicated staff member to address urgent needs. Visits focused on fixing broken items, identifying fall hazards and talking through other challenges such as transportation, food access or chore help. In one case, a resident regained safe access to his garage after storm damage was cleared. By pairing repairs with personal check-ins, the program helped older adults remain safer at home and created an ongoing way to connect residents with broader support.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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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