U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Https

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

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…
Read More

Find Stories

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

Search Results: 82 Stories
Man standing in front of Victor's Drive-In, Hamburgers sign

Rural Business Development Grant Keeps Rural Business Running

Some places evoke wonderful memories of joyful years gone by. Victor’s Drive-In in Peñasco, New Mexico, is just that kind of place. Victor Martinez, a U.S. Army veteran, and his wife, Barbara, opened the restaurant in 1971.After over 50 years in business, the restaurant’s… [Read More]
New Mexico
GrantsLocal FoodsSmall BusinessUnderserved
Man standing in front of Desert Aire Hotel sign

REAP Grant Helps Hotel Go 100 Percent Solar

While many companies build new hotels for efficiency, the Classic Desert Aire Hotel in Alamogordo, New Mexico, built in the 1950s, was not. Despite that, the hotel’s large roof recently offered an unexpected benefit for sustainability.“This property was built almost for solar —… [Read More]
New Mexico
Clean EnergyGrantsInflation Reduction ActREAPSolar Energy
Valley telecommunications store front

Valley Telecommunications extends network to provide high-speed internet

Valley Telecommunications has been providing its members in the Herreid area with quality service for nearly 70 years. The Cooperative strived to deliver the high speed, reliable internet service to its members across McPherson, Edmunds, and Campbell counties. When an… [Read More]
South Dakota
BroadbandGrantsHigh Speed InternetRural DevelopmentTelecommunications
The Pelican Athletic Club General Manager Alix St. Pé, USDA Rural Business Cooperative Services Administrator Betsy Londrigan, Associate Deputy Administrator Dr. James Jordan, Rural Development Chief of Staff Leroy Garcia, Special Advisor Robert Lyons alongside Rural Development Louisiana Business Programs Director Whey McGrew, Community Programs Director Matt Seaton, along with 50 USDA staff from across the country. The Next Solar Energy Technology Inc.'s Vice President of Sales, Eric LeBlanc, General Man

Pelican Athletic Club Enhances Energy Efficiency with USDA Rural Development Grants

Pelican Athletic Club Enhances Energy Efficiency with USDA Rural Development Grants The Pelican Athletic Club greeted and welcomed USDA Rural Development staff to their premier fitness and wellness center in Mandeville, Louisiana, to show off their new energy efficiency… [Read More]
Louisiana
EnergyGrantsREAPRenewable EnergySolar Energy
The Climate Fellow described in the story is pictured at an outdoor table interacting with a community member who is reading a pamphlet she shows him. There is a blue building, a Mount Desert Island School bus, and trees in the background. The event pictured is in a parking lot, with balloons in the near background.

Impact Beyond Measure: Maine Nonprofit Builds Climate Resilience and the Leaders of Tomorrow with RCDI Grant from USDA

Where can residents of small coastal and island communities in Maine turn for help with critical, labor-intensive projects? Residents of the Mount Desert Island town of Tremont recently worked with Island Institute Fellow… [Read More]
Maine
Clean EnergyGrantsRCDIRenewable Energy
Woman standing under Sugar Nymphs Bistro sign next to parking lot

Bistro Menu and Accessibility Boosted by Rural Business Development Grant

You might not expect to find a fancy bistro when driving through the mountains in northern New Mexico, but that is exactly what you will find in the small mountain town of Peñasco. Sugar Nymphs Bistro shares building space with the town theater and is a place where people come… [Read More]
New Mexico
GrantsLocal FoodsSmall BusinessUnderserved
Woman holding green chile in her restaurant kitchen

Rural Business Development Grant Helps Business Expand Hours

If you pass through Peñasco, New Mexico, in the spring or summer and crave some New Mexican style comfort food, you are in luck. La Jicarita Harvest offers just the food to give you a taste of authentic northern New Mexican cuisine. Sopapilla burgers, Indian tacos, and Frito… [Read More]
New Mexico
GrantsLocal FoodsSmall Business
Five people pose for a photo in a tire shop garage area

USDA Grant Helps Expand Tire Repair Service

Turning away customers is something no business owner ever wants to do, but that is exactly what employees at Traveler’s Service Station in Peñasco, New Mexico, had to do. Fortunately, the local nonprofit MAS Comunidad helped them purchase new equipment with funds from a USDA… [Read More]
New Mexico
GrantsSmall Business
Four people stand in front of a café counter

Healthy Food Financing Initiative Helps Spread the Power and Love of Local Food in New Mexico

When you’re planning to spend a day at a museum, a couple logistical questions might come to mind: What am I going to eat? Is the food going to be too expensive and not good? Luckily for those who visit Albuquerque’s Explora Science Center and Children’s Museum, local, healthy… [Read More]
New Mexico
GrantsLocal Foods
Molly and Jesse of Piper Mountain Christmas Trees stand in front of a vintage blue pickup truck with their two children. In the background there is a red barn and a distant hill.

Beginning Farmers Use REAP Grant to Make Their Christmas Tree Farm Greener

Molly Livingston and Jesse Jimerson were living in Northern Nevada while looking for an opportunity to get into farming. When they heard that Piper Mountain Christmas Tree Farm in Newburgh, Maine was for sale, they were interested. The farm had been in business since 1978 and… [Read More]
Maine
BusinessClean EnergyEnergyGrantsMade in Rural AmericaREAPRenewable EnergySmall Business

Additional Success Stories