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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: 769 Stories
Ruben Lopez Opening Smoker to show meat cooking inside.

Commercial Kitchen Fires Texas Barbecue up to Next Level

When Ruben Lopez and his wife Katherine moved from Texas to Price, Utah a few years ago, they didn’t have plans to open a restaurant. The idea began with a question Ruben posted on Facebook. “How would y'all like some Texas barbecue out here?” His query received hundreds of… [Read More]
Economic DevelopmentEntrepreneurGrantsLocal FoodsSmall Business
A new manufactured home with a long ramp in Iowa

Making Home Happen

The long white ramp leading up to the porch entrance of the home serves vital functions for homeowner John Bryson, Jr. For many years, John ran his own restaurant, but after a lifetime of hard work and medical issues, John had become disabled. Without a house of his own when a… [Read More]
African AmericanHomeownershipRural Development
Artist John Welch standing in front of his colorful art in an exhibit.

Artist Finds a Way to Continue Painting

A few years ago, artist John Welch was renting a small house in Helper, Utah. He describes it about the size of a cottage, although it met his needs. The best part was he had enough space in the basement to create art. John incorporates colors and patterns in his art to… [Read More]
HomeownershipHousing
Smiling woman standing in a shop with honey and honey-themed products on shelves on the walls and on racks.

Entrepreneurs and RD: a Match Meant to Bee

Mark and Linda Graf have a crew of over 400,000 bees in over 100 hives working for them near Emerson, Nebraska. The Buzz, their store on Main Street, sells local honey and related products.   The Grafs are shining examples of entrepreneurship in rural America. Linda… [Read More]
EntrepreneurLocal FoodsMade in Rural AmericaREAPRenewable EnergySmall BusinessValue Added
Owner of Fable Farms preparing wine

Building Small Rural Businesses

Small businesses are the center of rural communities and ensuring they have the tools needed to be successful is important for their sustainability. Fable Farms, a wine company in Washington, felt the strain during COVID-19 in 2020. Finding supplies for the business and getting… [Read More]
GrantsSmall BusinessValue Added
Lovington Mainstreet Executive Director Mara Salcido directs customers to the ‘Local Innovators Institute’ food truck called “Big Blue”

Developing Entrepreneurship in Lovington, N.M.

When the first class of the ‘Local Innovators Institute’ gathered in March of 2020 there was nothing but excitement. Why? Because everyone came to find out if their dreams of opening a restaurant would come true. The ‘Local Innovators Institute’ is a business development class… [Read More]
Economic DevelopmentEntrepreneurGrantsRural Development
Burke County Sign

New Technology for Burke, South Dakota Businesses

Technology has become a very important aspect of everyday life. Families, schools, governments, and businesses all use some form of technology to reach people and disseminate information or services.   Rural communities like Burke, South Dakota, were among the many… [Read More]
GrantsSmall BusinessTechnology
Workers at the Arc Bakery making their cookie

Creating Community, Awareness, and Cookies With the Arc

More than 67 years ago, parents came together to advocate for their children living with intellectual and development disabilities (IDD) who were not welcome in public schools. The Arc was born out of this effort, becoming a nonprofit dedicated to supporting individuals living… [Read More]
GrantsSmall BusinessUnderserved
Photos of cooperative local produce

Buying local made easy - Yellowstone Valley Food Hub

The Yellowstone Valley Food Hub (YVFH) is a cooperative of farmers and ranchers that came together three years ago to increase the community's access to local food. It started as an online ordering platform and quickly grew into an enduring business. Today it provides the… [Read More]
CooperativesFood SupplyGrantsLocal Foods
Fulton Business Solar Panels

Going Solar in Fulton

Fulton is a small town in Missouri and the largest city in Callaway County, with a population of about 13,000 people. But for many rural towns, identifying and securing solar incentives can be a challenge. RD’s Rural Energy for America Program Renewable Energy Systems… [Read More]
GrantsREAPRenewable EnergySolar Energy

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