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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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Find Stories

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

Search Results: 869 Stories
Male and female sanding a floor.

Homeownership Becomes Reality Through Four Bands Community Fund, Rural Development

When Kim Lawrence of Eagle Butte set out to purchase a home, she knew there was work to be done.“I had very bad credit and student loans that had gone unpaid,” said Lawrence. “Before I could buy a house, I needed to clean up my credit, and Four Bands helped guide me along the… [Read More]
South Dakota
HomeownershipHousingRural DevelopmentTribal
The Boys and Girls Club of the North Valley was able to purchase new tech equipment through Community Facilities program funding.

USDA Rural Development helps Boys and Girls Club in Oroville open new Teen Center

The Boys and Girls Club of the North Valley (BGCNV) fills a critical need in Oroville and surrounding communities, providing after-school social services and enrichment opportunities for low-income children and youth. About 79 percent of those served live below the poverty line… [Read More]
California
Community FacilitiesEducationGrantsRecreationRural Development
Vinita Domier, Officer Manger for California Center for Cooperative Development, goes over Co-op education material.

USDA Rural Development supports co-ops through partnership with California Center for Cooperative Development

The California Center for Cooperative Development (CCCD) plays an integral role in California. Cooperatives bring needed services to communities and are a source of empowerment for those who are often disempowered. Rural communities often lack the support services of larger… [Read More]
California
CooperativesRural Development
Members of the Real Pickle Co-op stand on the roof of the building next to the new solar panels on a sunny day. Many are wearing coats and it looks chilly outside.

Solar: It’s a “Big Dill” for Real Pickles Cooperative

As USDA Rural Development (RD) highlights National Cooperative Month, one worker owned co-op in Massachusetts stands out as a model for sustainability, collaboration, and local food system resiliency. The saying goes “it’s not easy being green.” But for Real Pickles in… [Read More]
Massachusetts
CooperativesEnergyLocal FoodsLocal ProduceREAPRenewable EnergyRural DevelopmentSustainable/Organic Foods
Orangeburg opened an updated library thanks to USDA RD

New library fuels economic development for rural Orangeburg community

For many people across the U.S., local libraries serve as a vessel for community and economic development. But residents in Orangeburg County, South Carolina, went without an updated local library for several years, and the effects were felt throughout the community. But… [Read More]
South Carolina
BusinessCommunity FacilitiesRural Development
Cooperative developers and members of home care cooperatives gather at the National Home Care Cooperative Conference. Group of smiling people standing in a large open room.

Strength in Members: Cooperative Home Care Resiliency in a Time of Crisis

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, home care cooperatives were a beacon of hope for overburdened health care workers and the industry that faced its breaking point. Many workers who wanted a stake in the day-to-day operations turned to the cooperative business model, which allows… [Read More]
Virginia
CooperativesGrantsHealth CareRural Development
True Chesapeake Oyster Company

USDA Partners with One Small Farm to Make Enormous Impact

Deep beneath the cool waters of the largest estuary in the United States, rests a hidden world teeming with limitless possibilities. Chesapeake Bay is considered a national treasure, with a watershed stretching 64,000 square miles, touching six states, and impacting more than 16… [Read More]
Delaware, Maryland, and District of Columbia (DC)
BusinessFood SupplyGrantsLocal FoodsSustainable/Organic FoodsValue Added
Community hospital new wing of building

Community Hospital Completes $16 Million Renovation with Assistance from USDA Rural Development & Thayer County Bank

Community Hospital in McCook, Nebraska recently completed an addition and remodel of their facilities with a $16 million investment from USDA Rural Development (RD) and Thayer County Bank. The work took four years to complete and was finished in August 2022.  The hospital… [Read More]
Nebraska
Community FacilitiesHealth CareRural Development
Day County Ambulance

Day County receives Rural Development Grant to purchase ambulance service

Located in the northeastern corner of South Dakota sits a county dotted with lakes, ponds and rolling hills. Agriculture plays an important role in the economy, and when summer and fall arrive, Day County sees its population more than double as anglers, hunters and outdoorsmen… [Read More]
South Dakota
Community FacilitiesFirst RespondersGrantsHealth Care
Cape Cod Coffee Shop owners

The Perks of Solar: Sustainability with Every Sip at Cape Cod Coffee

Many people have a passion for coffee. In fact, many of us cannot imagine starting our day without it. But for Pam and Jan Aggerbeck, owners of Cape Cod Coffee in Mashpee, Massachusetts, every cup of coffee is a part of their story of sustainability- And an opportunity to give… [Read More]
Massachusetts
GrantsREAPRenewable EnergySolar EnergySustainable/Organic Foods

Additional Success Stories