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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: 853 Stories
Iris standing in front of her house in Loiza, Puerto Rico

From struggle to stability: Restoring a family home in Loiza

On multigenerational land in rural Loíza, Puerto Rico, stands a new home for Iris. Iris is one of nine siblings who grew up in the house, originally built on land passed down from her grandparents. "The grandparents gave a piece of land to each of their children, and they… [Read More]
Puerto Rico
Disaster
Mary and Neil Seek enjoy a quiet moment in their lavender field.

Grant Helps Culpeper Farmer Follow Her Bliss Through Botanicals

A calming oasis can be hard to find in the gridlock of Northern Virginia, but those who know where to look can take a turn off the beaten path to reach a hidden sanctuary in nearby Culpeper. The Little House at Seek Lavender is a place of comfort and connection that is inspiring… [Read More]
Virginia
Value Added
Bodee, his wife Alexandria and their young son proudly stand in front of their first home!

A Growing Family Plants Roots in Wyoming

Bodee and his wife Alexandria were anxious to plant roots for their growing family. With a young son, and another one the way, they were ready to have a space of their own. The couple had never owned their own home, moving from rental to rental in Natrona County.“Homeownership… [Read More]
Wyoming
HomeownershipHousing
woman and man holding book at coffee shop

Empowering Coffee in Puerto Rico

Globally, more than a billion people count on coffee to power their day.  In rural Puerto Rico, USDA Rural Development is helping a small family-owned business power some of that coffee. Thanks to a $110,240 USDA Rural Development’s Rural Energy for America Program (… [Read More]
Puerto Rico
Clean Energy
A woman wearing denim overalls stands in a green field with flowers in the foreground and solar panels and trees in the background.

REAP at the Junction of Farming and Clean Energy

When Eileen Flanagan and John Cochrane moved to Vassalboro, Maine and founded their farm, Junction Garden LLC, they knew they had a lot to learn about diversified agriculture in Maine. As they developed their market farm and growing business, one goal stood out: “We were very… [Read More]
Maine
Clean EnergyEnergyLocal FoodsLocal ProduceREAPRenewable EnergySolar Energy
USDA’s Administrator for the Rural Business and Cooperative Service Betsy Dirksen Londrigan announces an RBDG award at the United Way of the Capital Region in Harrisburg, Pa., on Aug. 22, 2024.

United Way of the Capital Region receives USDA grant for workforce development initiative

On Aug. 22, 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development announced it had awarded an $85,000 grant to the United Way of the Capital Region through its Rural Business Development Grants Program.The grant will be used to help… [Read More]
Pennsylvania
Economic Development
USDA Rural Development and Boone County Community Organization Staff standing in front of a food truck.

Rural Partners Network Helps Deliver More Than Just Results in Boone County

It was fall of 2023 and Keith Stephens was attending the Greater Kanawha Valley Boone County Community Luncheon to speak about the Boone County Community Organization (BCCO), where he serves as President of the Board of Directors. It was a presentation he’d made numerous times… [Read More]
West Virginia
Rural Partners Network
During a recent visit to the Little Riddle Market, USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development Dr. Basil Gooden announced a new round of funding under the HFFI program that runs through October 14, 2024. “I am a living testament to growing up in stores like this,” said Gooden who grew up in rural Virginia. “This is not just a market; it is a place where the community comes together and shares their lives.”

Rural Development Assists Vital Family Market in Rural North Carolina

SHILOH, North Carolina--In the farthest northeast corner of North Carolina sits a store that serves as a lifeline for the town of Shiloh.That store is the Little Riddle Market. It is more than just a town grocer; it is a vital part of the community it works to serve on a daily… [Read More]
North Carolina
Infrastructure
Tonya S outside her home in Georgia

In Rural Georgia, Community and Commitment Lead to Homeownership Success

Tonya S. is a hardworking mother of two who lives in Dublin, Georgia. A longtime employee of a local restaurant, Tonya has found a way to balance her work life with her family life over the years. So, when a friend from church told her about USDA Rural Development’s Single… [Read More]
Georgia
Homeownership
A woman stands before a cream colored house set into a hillside, with a brick patio and white patio furniture arranged. There is a green lawn in the foreground and trees in the background in bright sunshine.

Maine Retiree Turns to Rural Development for Help Recovering from Flash Flood

After a dozen years in her Franklin County home, lifelong Mainer Lucille thought she knew what to expect during bad weather. Therefore, when torrential rains struck Western Maine on June 29, 2023, she wasn’t particularly alarmed at first. Her home is located partway up a hill… [Read More]
Maine
DisasterHome Repair

Additional Success Stories