Four short miles north of Lake Sakakawea and just along the highway as you enter Garrison, ND, (population: 1,467), sits a non-descript, beige warehouse. As the saying goes, if you blink too long, you might miss it. From the outside, Krause’s SuperValu might look like any other small-town grocery store, many of which have endured significant challenges and, too many, closed their doors in recent years in North Dakota.

Babies crying, toddlers learning, preschoolers preparing for Kindergarten…Little Sprouts Learning Center in Alcoa, Tennessee invites their families to “Come Grow With Us”. This 8,500 square foot childcare facility offers seven classrooms, a cafeteria, and two playgrounds. Ms. Ashley Hill, Owner and Director, says her learning center is a “one-of-a-kind childcare facility”.  

With a population of more than 20,000 residents and an expected growth of approximately 10,000 new residents, the Poplar Grove Utility District in Tipton County, Tennessee understands the importance of being able to support the new growth coming to their community.

Co-owners of Balfour Farm in Pittsfield, Heather and Doug Donahue have adapted to many changes as dairy farmers. First, they switched careers and began farming in 2004. They learned about farming and experimented with different breeds. Next came a move a move from New York to Maine in 2010. Soon they decided to transition away from wholesaling fluid milk and adopted a direct-to-consumer market model. They began selling milk, yogurt, and soft cheese at farmers’ markets and achieved organic certification.

West Portsmouth, Ohio, sitting serenely near the confluence of the Scioto and Ohio Rivers in Appalachia, now has an upgraded wastewater treatment plant. 

According to J.P. Pickelsimer, Scioto County Sanitary Engineer, West Portsmouth’s treatment facility – built in the early 1970s – served the community well for nearly half a century.

Nestled within the southwest corner of New Jersey lies the Borough of National Park, a small town with a big spirit. The close-knit community isn’t just a spot on the map that sounds like a hiking destination -- it's hometown to over 3,000 rural residents whose bonds run deep, always looking out for one another and the ground they stand on.

Writing her own homeownership story, Karla Quintana and her two children have lived in Garfield County, CO since 2011.  After having to move out of a garage studio apartment, the family was able to move in with friends and rent the bottom half of their home. While owning a home would be ideal, she wasn’t sure it was obtainable. Locally, Habitat for Humanity (HFH) Roaring Fork Valley opened a homeownership application process.  The Habitat for Humanity application process is held to find applicants that can be accepted into their next housing build.

Bob Threewitts raises heavy broilers in one of the top poultry producing and processing regions of the U.S., so he knows a thing or two about making his operation more productive and profitable. The solar panels he installed a little over two years ago check both boxes and will soon enable him to pass on a debt-free farm to his children.