U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Https

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Success Stories

A mother and three daughters pose around a dining room table. There are lace curtains and blue wall in the background and some dishes on the table in the foreground.

“This is Home” – A Family Finds Their Forever Home in Calais, Maine

One of the first rooms Heather Gagne and her daughters began redecorating in their new home is the dining room, shown in the top photo. They have been busy repainting and making other updates. Raising a family in coastal Machias, Maine may sound lovely, but for Heather Gagne recent years proved stressful. There were few housing options in the Downeast community, and Heather was glad to find a rental home to…
Read More

Find Stories

Use the filters below to find additional stories about how our programs have helped rural communities across the nation.

Search Results: 175 Stories
A group of staff and volunteers pose for a photo during the grand opening celebration of The BRICK food bank.

The BRICK Executive Director shares what kept her motivated through the expansion of one of the busiest food pantries in Northern Wisconsin

A $154,500 USDA Rural Development Community Facilities grant helped increase the square footage and modernize the Food Shelf at The BRICKWhen one of the busiest food pantries in Northern Wisconsin took on a multi-year renovation project, which involved a move to and from a… [Read More]
Wisconsin
Community Facilities
Six women sit around a table drinking coffee and tea

As the Door County Granary interpretive museum prepares to open for the 2025 season, the women who began the project are as dedicated as ever

A $3.3 million USDA Rural Development Community Facilities grant helped restore a historical giant that was instrumental in shaping Wisconsin’s global agricultural significance  It has taken dozens of people to complete the first phases of the project to restore the 75-foot… [Read More]
Wisconsin
Community Facilities
Three men standing next to a police equipped sport utility vehicle.

Public Safety Gets Boost in Popular Ohio Vacation Destination

Rural communities and small towns could teach master classes in creative problem solving for operating on tight budgets and stretching scarce resources.   Patrolman Jason Keeler sits in the new K-9 equipped sport utility vehicle… [Read More]
Ohio
Community FacilitiesFirst Responders
Morris YMCA

YMCA Receives a $3.5 Million USDA Rural Development Community Facilities Grant, Making Health and Medicinal Rehabilitation Services More Accessible in Rural Communities

Champaign, IL, Feb 10th, 2025 - YMCAs are widely known for benefitting communities by offering low-cost wellness centers, kids’ programs, community engagement, and more. Rural areas especially suffer from a lack of these services. … [Read More]
Illinois
Community Facilities
Carter County Presiding Commissioner Ron Kenny

Carter County's New Equipment to Tackle Winter Roads

Carter County ensures winter readinessBy Sierra RuscoCarter County, Missouri, nestled in the southeast region of the beautiful Missouri Ozarks, boasts a population of approximately 5,202 residents. The county’s picturesque landscape features winding, steep roads that can pose… [Read More]
Missouri
Community Facilities
People on staircase cutting a ribbon.

Ohio Celebrates Opening of New Independent Living Facility

Ohio Eastern Star Home gathered with family, friends, community leaders, and partners to cut the ribbon and celebrate opening of the newest addition to its 60-acre Mt. Vernon, Ohio campus. Pine Hill, an apartment complex featuring 40… [Read More]
Ohio
Community FacilitiesHousing

Transforming Lives with Quality Healthcare Services in Rural Alabama

Medical West Hospital Authority, an affiliate of University of Alabama at Birmingham UAB Health System, sought financing for a replacement and relocation of their existing hospital from its current Bessemer, Alabama location to rural McCalla, Alabama, in West Jefferson County,… [Read More]
Alabama
Community Facilities
Picture of USDA Rural Development team presenting award poster to YMCA Leadership.

New YMCA Opens in Ottawa, IL: A Boost for Community Health and Wellness

The city of Ottawa warmly welcomed its new YMCA facility in May 2024; a testament to community investment and local collaboration aimed at promoting health, wellness, and social engagement. This state-of-the-art facility represents a $27.5 million investment in the community,… [Read More]
Illinois
Community FacilitiesInfrastructure
People standing in front of a fire truck in a field.

SW Ohio City Breaks Ground on New Fire Station

The City of Loveland, Ohio, gathered on a sun-drenched autumn morning to celebrate the groundbreaking for its new fire station. Local leaders and community partners, led by Loveland Mayor Kathy Bailey, donned helmets of Fire Station 63 and took ceremonial shovels in hand to… [Read More]
Ohio
Community FacilitiesFirst Responders
A vacant lot in Downtown Rutland, VT, turned into an art exhibit

The Innovative Inspiration Behind Rutland’s Evolving Makeover

What makes a place what it is? Not just any place, but a good place? Somewhere people recognize, think about, talk about, hope for, travel through, travel to, work in, and live in? If cornered into summing it up with one sentence, community development guru Lisa Glover… [Read More]
Vermont and New Hampshire
Community Facilities

Additional Success Stories