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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
Image of people in a boat

Working Together for Change on Spruce Head Island: Maine Oyster Company Goes Green with REAP Grant

Entrepreneurs must weigh every potential expense carefully. This is certainly true for Krista Tripp, owner of a lobster business and commercial oyster farm on Sprucehead Island, ME. Her company, Aphrodite Oysters, markets its fresh seafood directly to consumers and through area… [Read More]
Maine
BusinessEnergyEntrepreneurLocal FoodsRenewable EnergySmall BusinessSolar Energy
A woman stands in front of a white house with a metal railing

New Teacher Buys a Home: Kailee Invests in Jasper County, Iowa

Not many college students graduate with a bachelors degree and purchase a house within two years. Kailee Meyer in Jasper County, Iowa, achieved her dream of home ownership with help from a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development home loan program.… [Read More]
Iowa
HomeownershipHousing
The new water treatment facility at Wagon Wheel community in Brookfield, MA will replace 68 aging septic tanks and ensure the community meets environmental regulations.

Wagon Wheel community receives continuing support to upgrade wastewater system

Wagon Wheel Community is a small neighborhood comprised of 144 mobile homes on a 48-acre property in Brookfield MA. The community was faced with an antiquated system that was comprised of 68 septic tanks serving 212 residents. USDA RD Southern New England (SNE) started to… [Read More]
Massachusetts
Infrastructure
Librarians present and past, Tina Peterson (L) and Kathleen Schreiber (R) in Harlowton's Library.

Local Library “More than Just Books” for Rural Montana Town

“The Light Lies on the Farther Hills,” was the motto of the Harlowton Women’s Club at is founding in 1921. The club’s first project was to establish a public library for the town to “stimulate intellectual development and promote fellowship.” That same year, the Harlowton… [Read More]
Montana
Community Facilities
Community gathers to celebrate NACDC Financial Services, Inc., $1 million grant award.

Advancing Homeownership on Montana's Tribal Lands

On a sun-drenched, snowy day in Browning, Montana, community leaders gathered at NACDC Financial Services, Inc., to celebrate NACDC’s receipt of a $1 million USDA grant to expand single family homeownership on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. The award is part of USDA Rural… [Read More]
Montana
Homeownership
Bennett County Hospital

What if the ambulance never comes?

Audio file Your browser does not support the audio element. What-if-the-ambulance-never-comes-Bennett-County-Hospital.mp3 Download files: What-if-the-ambulance-never-comes-… [Read More]
South Dakota
Community FacilitiesFirst RespondersGrantsHealth Care
God’s Blessing is Heating Up This Holiday Season

God’s Blessing is Heating Up This Holiday Season

Heating and cooling is a luxury far too many of us take for granted. Imagine sitting in your kitchen day-after-day wearing two sweatshirts, two pairs of pants, and a stocking cap, just to keep warm. Well, this was a reality for Washburn resident, Ms. Donna Helton. Ms. Helton… [Read More]
Tennessee
Home Repair
Image of sign of Meadville, Pennsylvania

Engage Your Community With Investment Cooperatives

What can you do to bring economic development to your rural communities? Is it possible without large corporations or out of town investors that may not understand the needs of your community? Perhaps your community should consider investment cooperatives.Local organizers in… [Read More]
Pennsylvania
BusinessCooperativesEconomic DevelopmentRural DevelopmentSmall Business
A picture of Barbour County Deputy Sheriff's wearing their new body cameras and standing in front of their new cruisers.

Barbour County Sheriff's Department and USDA: Partners in Prosperity

At USDA Rural Development West Virginia, we are advocates for, investors in, and partners to rural communities and the people, businesses, local governments, and organizations within those communities. We’re here to help rural communities overcome obstacles and work with them to… [Read More]
West Virginia
Community Facilities
Mni Waste water tower in Eagle Butte, SD

Delivering mni wašté to residents of Cheyenne River Reservation

The Lakota phrase mni wasté translates to mean good water, which is what Mni Wasté Water Company’s 13 staff strive to deliver to the residents of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and surrounding area every day. Leo ‘Earp’ Fischer is the director of the water company. He’s been… [Read More]
South Dakota
Community FacilitiesGrantsRural DevelopmentTribalWater

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