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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: 180 Stories
firefighter standing on fire truck at a farm in the evening

New Pumper Truck Enhances Firefighting Efforts and Community Safety

What began as a controlled burn in early May 2025 at Wolsey’s landfill turned dangerous when high winds stoked embers deep in the rubble, igniting a grassfire. The blaze quickly spread to within a quarter mile of the town, charring more than 250 acres in its path.The Wolsey Fire… [Read More]
South Dakota
Community FacilitiesFirst Responders
Colman payloader on Main Street with water tower in the background

Clearing the Way for a Safer Community

When storms hit rural communities, oftentimes fewer resources are available to assist them in cleanup efforts. This is the case for the east-central community of Colman with a population of 600 citizens. The city’s budget is tight, leading to stretched-thin resources.When Grant… [Read More]
South Dakota
Community Facilities
HCCH Inspection Team wearing reflective hard hat

Expanded Healthcare will Increase Access to Care and Create Jobs in Bethany, Missouri

Big things are happening in Harrison County, and the new Harrison County Community Hospital (HCCH) facility is just the beginning of a transformational era for Harrison and surrounding counties.In the heart of Bethany, Missouri, nestled halfway between Kansas City and Des Moines… [Read More]
Missouri
Community FacilitiesHealth Care
Marshall Browning Hospital Rehabilitation Center_1

USDA Rural Development Provides Grant to Expand Marshall Browning Hospital’s New Rehabilitation Center

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development provided a $1 million Community Facilities Emergency Rural Health Care Grant to help fund the recent rehabilitation center expansion at the Marshall Browning Hospital (MBH) in Du Quoin, Illinois. The 7,700-square-foot… [Read More]
Illinois
Community FacilitiesGrantsHealth Care
Catamount Film & Arts Creative Campus

Catamount Film & Arts Celebrates Fifty Years with Help from USDA

A Creative Vision to STRENGTHEN THE ARTSSince 1975, Catamount Film & Arts (CA) in St. Johnsbury, VT has embraced the mission of providing people affordable access to quality arts engagement in the Northeast Kingdom (NEK), an underserved region designated in 2000 as one of… [Read More]
Vermont and New Hampshire
Community Facilities
LaValley Family Community Center in Newport, NH

Newport, NH Builds a Place for Residents to Gather and Play

The Journey Begins with a COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONThe various elements that enable a successful community project are often mere wishes and hopes at the beginning of the initiative’s creation story. Some undertakings may have a few ingredients ready to mix in, like a key funder,… [Read More]
New Hampshire
Community Facilities
Cople District firefighters Donald and Ryan King wearing SCBA equipment.

Disaster Grant Gets Northern Neck Firefighters Breathing Easier

Danger may be part of the job description for firefighters, but one critical piece of protective gear can significantly lower health risks for those who put themselves in harm’s way to protect lives and property in rural Virginia. “We consider every environment to be… [Read More]
Virginia
Community FacilitiesDisasterFirst Responders
Allen Parish Healthcare

Building a Healthier Future in Allen Parish through Rural Development Community Facilities Programs

USDA Rural Development Louisiana's Community Facilities Programs are key to strategic investments in rural communities. One recent success is our partnership with Allen Parish Community Healthcare in Kinder, Louisiana. This rural hospital—serving not just Allen Parish but also… [Read More]
Louisiana
Community Facilities
A police officer stands beside a police car with a police dog

K9 Unit Supports Northeast Iowa Community with Help from USDA Grant

Postville, Iowa, population 2,500, is a hard-working community in the northeast corner of the state supported by an international workforce. A sign at the edge of town reads “Hometown to the World.” People come here to work in local industries, including meatpacking and… [Read More]
Iowa
Community Facilities

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