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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: 885 Stories
Precision Prefinishing installed energy-efficient lighting at its Harrisburg facility with help from a USDA grant.

A Rural Business is Reaping the Rewards of Increased Energy Efficiency

Precision Prefinishing may be a small business, but it needs a large space to conduct its work of custom finishing panels for cabinets, siding, and other construction products. Its 130,000-square-foot facility in the rural town of Harrisburg in western Oregon was lit with… [Read More]
Oregon
EnergyREAP
Cane Bay Fire Station

RD Community Facility Loan Funds Will Be Utilized to Construct New Fire Station

A ground-breaking ceremony was held on May 22, 2019 for the highly anticipated Cane Bay Fire Station. Local leaders and members of the community gathered at the site to celebrate the official ground breaking for the Whitesville Fire and Rescue Headquarters Fire Station. The 5,… [Read More]
South Carolina
Community Facilities
Loader Equipment

New Equipment Provides Much Needed Service to Rural Community of 85 Residents

Davis is a town located in Turner County, South Dakota.  It got its name from a first settler back in 1893.  The community needed equipment to assist with year-round street maintenance and winter snow removal.  The lone piece of equipment presently owned by the… [Read More]
South Dakota
Community Facilities
Dupree Fire Truck Photo

Reliable Equipment Provides for a Greater Peace of Mind

Ask any fire fighter, they will likely tell you that providing protection and other emergency services is demanding.  Having efficient, operable equipment that can withstand rugged terrain and extreme conditions is a real asset when it comes to providing fire protection and… [Read More]
South Dakota
Community Facilities
Olglala Lakota College photo

Taking the Student Experience to the Next Level

Oglala and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes’ members can attend college without driving long distances thanks in part to USDA financing. The funds will enable residents in remote, rural parts of the state to participate in a variety of classes at Oglala Lakota College (OLC). USDA… [Read More]
South Dakota
Distance Learning
Peony Solar

One of the Largest Solar Farms in the State will benefit approximately 9,400 homes in South Carolina.

USDA Rural Development (RD) Business and Industry (B&I) Loan funds are used to assist farmers, ranchers, and rural small businesses in developing renewable energy systems and in making energy-efficiency improvements to their operations.  In May, Peony Solar, located in… [Read More]
South Carolina
BusinessREAP
The Echeverria Family outside their new home.

From Trailer House to New Home

Jose Mendez Echeverria, wife Eliana and two year old daughter Aitana resided in a trailer house for nine years in Crete, Neb.  They were ready to buy a home that had more space and comfort.  Crete has a lack of housing available creating an obstacle.  A friend of… [Read More]
Nebraska
Homeownership

Keeping Manufacturing Alive

Bloomsburg Carpet, located in the beautiful Susquehanna River Valley of central Pennsylvania, has, since its founding in 1976, prided itself on manufacturing the highest quality, American-made carpets. Like all small businesses, they seek to control expenses as best they can.… [Read More]
Pennsylvania
REAP
Boys and Girls Club of Lower Brule van photo

Transportation Van Helps Advance Boys and Girls Club Mission

Lower Brule, S.D. is in Lyman County. The community is located within the Lower Brule Indian Reservation. An organization called The Boys and Girls Club of Lower Brule provides youth development and has two sites; one is a youth center for ages 6-12 and the other is a teen… [Read More]
South Dakota
Community Facilities
Florence Food Share distributes approximately 50,000 pounds of food per month to help alleviate hunger in this rural community.

Partnering to Alleviate Hunger in a Rural Community

In the small community of Florence and the surrounding area on the Oregon coast, nearly 4,000 people received free food from the nonprofit Florence Food Share last year. The pantry helps ensure that seniors, people with disabilities, those who are unemployed, and low-income… [Read More]
Oregon
Community Facilities

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