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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 their Downeast community, and Heather was glad to find a rental home to…
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Use the filters below to find additional stories about how our programs have helped rural communities across the nation.

Search Results: 10 Stories
Ryan Tanney, a worship pastor at a church in Pine Grove, California, stands in front of several screens, which are used to manage a live broadcast of Sunday services.

Making connections: bringing California’s rural central Sierra Nevada communities closer with high-speed internet

Mary West-Hutchinson, a real estate broker in West Point, California, was tired of commuting. She’d leave the tall rural pines of her home community and drive 80 minutes to the more densely populated Lodi for work. In addition, she was taking college courses, working toward her… [Read More]
BroadbandDisasterHigh Speed Internet
The exterior of Susan Noesen's home following the tornado that struck Alexandria in May of 2022.

Disaster Repair Grant Helps Minnesota Resident Bounce Back After Devastating Tornado

If it weren’t for Susan Noesen’s sense of humor and optimistic outlook on life, dealing with her tragedy would have been much more difficult. Noesen, a resident of Alexandria, recalls the very day that the unthinkable happened: a tornado ripped through her town, temporarily… [Read More]
DisasterHome RepairHousing
USDA with Norma and Neighbors helping Neighbors

Welcome Home: The Fire Didn't Beat Me.

Have you ever heard your heart in your ears? It’s that adrenaline rush that results from both good and bad events in our life. Often enough the events that trigger this feeling are good, your favorite team winning, that lucky break or unexpected promotion. There are also times… [Read More]
DisasterHousing
A water treatment facility at Seal Rock, Oregon.

Collaboration and Climate Resilience: Seal Rock Water District Finds A New Source

Seal Rock’s drinking water was in danger. For nearly 50 years, Seal Rock Water District (SRWD) relied on water purchased from the nearby town of Toledo, Oregon. The water could only be delivered through a 7-mile-long, underground pipeline. Already prone to landslides and… [Read More]
Community FacilitiesDisasterWastewaterWater
USDA Rural Development West Virginia State Director Ryan Thorn (left), Hardy County Public Service District General Manager Logan Moyers (center), and USDA Rural Development Area Director Steve Collins take a picture in front of the new Hardy County PSD office building in Moorefield, West Virginia.

“They’re Always There for Us”: USDA Helps with Recovery Efforts

It was June 1, 2018, a severe storm had battered Hardy County in eastern West Virginia causing flooding, mudslides, and landslides. The storms brought heavy rain and caused significant damage to private property and public infrastructure in Hardy County. The Hardy County Public… [Read More]
DisasterWastewaterWater
A skid steer with snow blower attachment blowing snow off a sidewalk

A Skid Steer, A Snow Blower and Safer Sidewalks in a Small Iowa Town

Located in southwestern Iowa, the town of Corning in Adams County is known for its historic architecture and rural landscapes. A strong sense of civic pride can be seen throughout the community, population 1,564. Small town charm, however, was not enough to serve the pressing… [Read More]
Community FacilitiesDisasterGrantsInfrastructure
Several people raise a house wall during a group construction project

Camp Fire survivor gets new home through USDA RD Self-Help Program

Elizabeth Brewster grew up in Paradise, California. After a time away for her career, she knew she had to come back to the place she called home – a home that had been in her family since the 1960s. In 2018, tragedy hit. The Camp Fire, the deadliest fire in the history of… [Read More]
DisasterGrantsHomeownershipHousing
Gosper County Rural Fire District's New Grass Fire Truck

Gosper County Rural Fire District Gets New Grass Fire Truck: A Special Addition to the Team

Living in a rural community has its advantages; peace and quiet, a more reasonable cost of living, and friendly neighbors who pull for each other in times of need. Rural America seems to have community values that sometimes can feel lost in other places, and no one embodies… [Read More]
Community FacilitiesDisasterFirst RespondersGrants
F150

Pittsfield Police Department Gains New Vehicle

The City of Pittsfield and the USDA partnered together to find the right grant to access funds for a new unmarked police interceptor to continue to help the community fight the war on crime. This vehicle will specifically help in the battle against drugs and allow the town to… [Read More]
Disaster
Rushville Fire Truck

USDA Assists in Protecting Residents and Firefighters

The 890 rural residents of the city of Rushville are currently served by a 1974 pumper truck that was refurbished in 1994. The vehicle lacks 4x4 wheel drive which is critical during poor weather conditions.  Also, the truck can't pump and roll simultaneously, and does not… [Read More]
Community FacilitiesDisaster

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