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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
USDA provided a grant 0f $31,500 to assist in purchasing and outfit of a new rescue boat for Scuffleton. The town will use the boat to assist in water rescue in its home county and the surrounding areas.

Scuffleton & USDA RD work to keep NC Waterways Safe

The Scuffleton Rural Fire Services Inc. is taking steps to assure they are ready for the next water emergency effecting their area with the purchase of an aluminum rescue boat. Through a partnership with USDA Rural Development the fire department received a $31 thousand grant… [Read More]
Community Facilities
Photo of Corina Ponce and her son

USDA Helps Renovate Homeowner’s Safe Haven

Nearly three years ago, Corina Ponce had purchased a bank-owned home in Redfield, SD. She acquired the property knowing it had been vacant for a few years and needed major repairs. The time had come when she was ready to move forward with repairs to the home. One evening, she… [Read More]
Home RepairHomeownershipHousing
heiwa tofu family photo

Solar Powered Tofu: Renewable Energy Powers Maine Business

From humble beginnings making tofu from their garage in Camden, to producing and distributing organic and locally-sourced tofu products throughout New England from their building in Rockport, the owners of Heiwa Tofu have always been focused on a “bright” future for their small… [Read More]
REAP

New Solar Array Helps Brewery Keep The Lights On

In rural Ord, Nebraska, Scratchtown Brewing Company, LLC is saving nearly 70 percent in energy costs thanks, in part, to a Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) renewable energy grant awarded in 2019 to purchase a new 24-kilowatt rooftop solar array. These renewable energy… [Read More]
BusinessEnergyInfrastructureRenewable EnergyRural DevelopmentSmall BusinessSolar Energy
Sewer in the Yard

No Family Should Have Raw Sewage in Their Yard

As a low-income senior citizen who lost her partner and lives solely on Social Security, Ellen is at the center of a multi-generational home where resources are pooled. Ellen called the Kitsap Public Health District in the summer of 2019 to report her failing septic system.… [Read More]
Home Repair
Crawford Rural Fire Department Station

USDA Brings Public Protection and Community Space

Crawford’s Rural Fire Department Station was built in 1929 and had reached the end of its useful life by not meeting current energy, building, accessibility codes and standards. The basement had flooded thus mold was a concern. A shared wall to the west side of the station had a… [Read More]
Community Facilities
A professor at Beaufort County Community College presents a class on American History. Utilizing a $329 thousand Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant from USDA Rural Development BCCC is able to serve its population that stretches to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

BCCC & USDA RD Expanding the Reach of Higher Education

Beaufort County Community College serves a rural population of traditional and high school students who are all working towards a degree.    Many rural students have the convenience of being able to easily travel to their classes. The barriers of the miles of ocean… [Read More]
Distance Learning

USDA Grant Boosts Heritage Breed Livestock Producer

Farm thrives, bolsters other local farmers during coronavirus pandemic   For Shelly Oswald, owner of Old Time Farm in Stoneboro, Pa., the novel coronavirus pandemic illustrates the vital role small, local agriculture producers play in safeguarding food security during a… [Read More]
Know Your FarmerLocal FoodsMade in Rural America
Lab technician using new COVID-19 testing machine

Helping Rural Hospitals in the Fight Against COVID-19

In Wray, Colorado, the Wray Community District Hospital was one of the first rural hospitals to be on allocation for the SARS COVID-19 PCR testing. Prior to receiving the new equipment, the hospital only had access to a small four bay test analyzer. This smaller… [Read More]
Community Facilities

A Single Mother's Blessing

"It is truly a blessing to come home each day to our peaceful environment," said Amanda Gilliard. The goal of graduating from college and purchasing a home for her family has been realized. For the last seven years, Amanda has maintained full-time employment, complete a four-… [Read More]
Homeownership

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