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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 the 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: 23 Stories
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
Two men stand next to a green sign that says Plateau

Rural Development Grant Helps ReConnect Rural New Mexicans

Over seventy-five years ago, a group of rural New Mexicans banded together to create Eastern New Mexico Rural Telephone Cooperative. The group wanted to provide telephone service to rural eastern New Mexico. The cooperative is now known as Plateau. Its cooperative area covers 25… [Read More]
New Mexico
BroadbandCooperativesHigh Speed InternetInfrastructure
Greenville Town Manager Mike Roy stands in front of one of the town's fire trucks in the new public safety building.

Enhancing Public Safety in the Highlands of Maine

Located in the Highlands region of Maine, the town of Greenville has long been a vacation destination. In recent years, the community has welcomed even more visitors pursuing outdoor recreation and lakeside living. While the influx of… [Read More]
Maine
Community FacilitiesFirst RespondersInfrastructure
During a recent visit to the Little Riddle Market, USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development Dr. Basil Gooden announced a new round of funding under the HFFI program that runs through October 14, 2024. “I am a living testament to growing up in stores like this,” said Gooden who grew up in rural Virginia. “This is not just a market; it is a place where the community comes together and shares their lives.”

Rural Development Assists Vital Family Market in Rural North Carolina

SHILOH, North Carolina--In the farthest northeast corner of North Carolina sits a store that serves as a lifeline for the town of Shiloh.That store is the Little Riddle Market. It is more than just a town grocer; it is a vital part of the community it works to serve on a daily… [Read More]
North Carolina
Infrastructure
Senator Susan Collins stands with members of the Corinna Fire Department and others at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new fire station.

Eight-bell Turns a Thing of the Past for the Corinna Fire Department

The Corinna Fire Department groundbreaking ceremony July 31, 2023 (from left to right: Shawn Richards, Jeff Dorman, Allen Emerson, T.J. Emerson, John Bridges and Shawn Henderson). Less than one year after breaking ground on a new fire… [Read More]
Maine
Community FacilitiesFirst RespondersInfrastructure
Honeyville Metal has recently announced the installation of a state-of-the-art solar array at their Topeka, Indiana location. This sustainable energy initiative is a significant step towards reducing the company's carbon footprint while also saving on energy costs. The new solar array highlights Honeyville Metal's commitment to environmental stewardship and their forward-thinking approach to business operations.

Harnessing the Power of the Sun: Honeyville Metal's Path to Energy Independence

Honeyville Metal, LLC in Topeka, Indiana is a family-owned business that designs and fabricates innovative dust collection and grain handling equipment that supports a variety of industries across North America. The company has taken significant steps towards sustainability… [Read More]
Indiana
InfrastructureREAPRenewable EnergyRural DevelopmentSolar Energy
Jared Stober with an outstretched hand holding a small bottle with grains inside.

From Farm to Tap

BISMARCK, N.D. – You’ve likely heard the phrases “Farm to Table” and “Farm to School,” but how about “Farm to Tap?” Though maybe not as common or mainstream, “farm to tap” is an appropriate way to summarize the path that grain, grown and harvested on family farms in North… [Read More]
North Dakota
BusinessInfrastructure
Comanche County

USDA Community Facilities Guaranteed Loan is Transforming Rural Healthcare

In the rolling hills of Comanche County, Legacy Estate Long Term Care stands as a beacon of hope and innovation in rural healthcare. A not-for-profit care center owned by Comanche County Consolidated Hospital District (CCCHD), and led by CEO Nikki Stark and Misty Hill, the… [Read More]
Texas
Community FacilitiesInfrastructure
A photo on a farm with a grain dryer in the center. There is a small white building to the right and grain bins around the grain dryer.

Farming for the Future

The State of North Dakota is roughly 70,000 square miles. Agricultural land occupied by family farms and ranches accounts for about 60,000 of those square miles. With the sheer number of acres dedicated to growing and raising our country’s food supply, it comes as no surprise… [Read More]
North Dakota
EnergyInfrastructure
Watertower in George, WA was partially funded through USDA Rural Development.

Addressing Water Access Challenges Through USDA Rural Development’s Commitment to Rural Communities

Water is the life source for everything living on this earth. For human survival, we require clean and reliable water through sustainable infrastructure. While most people in US communities are blessed with water resources that don't even need to be thought about when the… [Read More]
Washington
Infrastructure

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