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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: 893 Stories
Mike tests his thermostat for new cove heaters while Luke supervises.

Home Electrified & Heated for Comfortable Living

Michael Costa was having electrical issues in his 1912, 900 sq. ft., two bedroom bungalow home in Scottsbluff, Nebraska.  The electric outlets upstairs were not working.  Some electricity did work downstairs where he had his TV and kept his refrigerator… [Read More]
Nebraska
Home Repair
Photo: After years working in construction on other people’s homes, Matt was able to buy his first house for himself and his two girls with help from USDA.

After Building Others’ Homes, Father of Two Achieves Homeownership

Matt was fortunate to have a rental in Redmond’s competitive market in central Oregon, where the vacancy rate is around one percent. But the scarcity of available homes is driving up prices, and Matt was feeling the impact. He also worried that if his current rental fell through… [Read More]
Oregon
Housing
Rose Fraser with Running Strong

Youth Project Promotes the Well Being of Children and Families

Oyate Teca Project an affiliate of Running Strong for American Indian Youth, Inc. is centrally located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, in Kyle, SD a non-profit organization providing a variety of programs and activities promoting the well-being of children and their… [Read More]
South Dakota
Economic Development
car crusher

#1 Selling Car Crusher on the Market Benefits From Making Energy Efficiency Improvements

OVB Holdings, LLC dba Overbuilt, based in Huron, SD,  manufactures heavy machinery including car crushers and balers/loggers.  Overbuilt and its products have been around since 1996.  They produce top-quality, high-performance equipment for auto salvage yards and… [Read More]
South Dakota
REAP
Jennifer Quail with Vision Brookings

Establishing Unique Resources for a South Dakota Community

Brookings Economic Development Corporation (BEDC), through Vision Brookings Foundation, has received a USDA Rural Business Development Grant to create a commercial kitchen and implement a technical assistance program to assist the efforts of area food entrepreneurs. The kitchen… [Read More]
South Dakota
Business
Photo: Meant Manufacturing, a woman-owned, startup business in Florence, Oregon, is creating jobs and improving the local economy.

From Artisanal Hobbyist to Successful Business Owner: Rural Entrepreneur Contributes to Job Creation and Local Economy

Creating one-of-a-kind bags and accessories from locally sourced materials, like Pendleton® Wool, started as a hobby for Lindsey Phillips. Gradually, she began selling her products through third-party sites. Then she created her own website and sold wholesale to local boutiques… [Read More]
Oregon
BusinessEconomic DevelopmentSmall Business
The Bailay Family

Commuting Time Can Make the Difference in Buying a Home

Cody and Amber Bailey and their daughter Savannah were living in a house in Milligan, Nebraska that Cody had bought before he got married.  The house was a real fixer upper and Cody didn’t have the funds for the repairs.  Amber is a new stay at home mother and Cody… [Read More]
Nebraska
Homeownership
Vernetta Le Grand and Cayla Hilbrands

Energy Efficiency Improvements Enhance Shopping Experience

The R&B Food Center located in Wessington, South Dakota is the only grocery store located in the community with a population of  177. Vernetta LeGrand has owned and operated this local grocery store since 1987. Having a grocery store  is critical to community… [Read More]
South Dakota
REAP
Photo: A new solar energy production facility in the small, unincorporated community of Dairy, Oregon, is benefiting the community and a local farm.

Shining a Light on Solar Energy Benefits for Rural Farm, Community

A farm in the very small, rural community of Dairy in southern Oregon had a parcel of high elevation land that was hardly worth the effort to plant. The  low soil quality and poor irrigation made the land suitable for hay production and nothing else. More often, the field… [Read More]
Oregon
Renewable EnergySolar Energy
The Tangeman Family

Look at Those Homeownership Smiles!

  Rebecca Tangeman and her three children had resided in the home she owned in Topeka, Kansas for 10 years. Due to transitions, she moved to Norfolk, Nebraska in the summer of 2013 back to the roots of where she grew up and had also been a graduate from Wayne State College… [Read More]
Nebraska
Homeownership

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