Jackson, Tenn. – The City of Jackson, TN is thrilled to announce that we have awarded the 2022 AARP Community Challenge grant. Jackson is one of only 260 grantees selected from across all 50 states, Washington D.C, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“We are excited for our city to be one of over 200 cities awarded this grant which we will use to construct these community refrigerators in our city. These refrigerators will be used to provide fresh food to those who are in need,” said Mayor Scott Conger. “We want to thank AARP for the generous support that made the project possible to help make this community a great place for all ages.”
The community refrigerators are being made possible for the community due to the generous support of AARP. With this grant, the city will provide these stand-alone refrigerators in wooden frames, which will be positioned outside a First United Methodist Church and JACOA. The refrigerators will initially be stocked by the city, later by donations.
“The members at First Methodist Church in Downtown Jackson are excited about being a part of this new opportunity to help our neighbors with the community fridges,” said Scott Murray, First Methodist Church, Downtown Jackson. “We are always searching for different ways to work together with our community partners to support everyone in Jackson.”
"JACOA was fortunate to receive a Blessing Box through the Give Back Jack Blessing Boxes initiative a couple of years ago,” said Barry Cooper, Executive Director of JACOA. “Through our partnership with the City of Jackson's Love Your Block Program, we look forward to receiving a mini-refrigerator that will allow us to supply bottled water/juices, fresh fruit, vegetables and eggs to those in need in the East Jackson Community."
About the Community Challenge:
The Community Challenge grant program is part of AARP’s nationwide Livable Communities initiative, which supports the efforts of cities, towns, neighborhoods and rural areas to become great places to live for people of all ages, especially those 50 and over. Including this year’s projects, AARP has awarded $12.7 million through more than 1,060 grants since 2017 to nonprofit organizations and government entities across the country, many of which have led to long-term change.
View the full list of grantees and their project descriptions at aarp.org/communitychallenge and learn more about AARP’s livable communities work at aarp.org/livable