April 2010

What better way to end the day than by uncovering local food powerhouses in the Nation’s Capital! On Wednesday, April 21, 2010, the USDA and HHS Centers for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships convened to visit two jewels located in Washington, DC: Common Good City Farm of Ledroit Park and Healthy Solutions of Anacostia.

Written by Jill Clothier, Iowa Earth Team Coordinator, USDA-NRCS

By Sammi Citron, News Services Information Assistant 

Earth Day celebrations in both Rosebud and Porcupine, South Dakota, featured Jessica Zufolo, USDA Rural Development Deputy Administrator for Rural Utilities Programs.  Zufolo was joined by the South Dakota Rural Development State Director Elsie M. Meeks and Area Director Tim Potts, along with representatives from Indian Health Service, Bureau of Reclamation, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.  The celebration featured the announcement of a water and environmental project totaling $6.8 million to the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and water and environmental project totaling $881,000 to the Oglala Sioux Tribe.

Written by Gayle Cargo, Public Information Coordinator

Texas USDA Rural Development State Director, Paco Valentin, Pearsall Mayor Ray Martinez and other county officials celebrated Earth Day, April 22^nd, with a $4,765,000 Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant funding presentation to the city of Pearsall.

By Ken Stribling, Public Information Coordinator

Last Saturday, a massive tornado nearly a mile wide ripped through central Mississippi, killing ten people and injuring scores of others.  Hardest hit were Choctaw, Holmes and Yazoo Counties.  Hundreds of Mississippi families lost their homes, businesses, and farms.

Cross posted from the White House Blog by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack

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By Joan Messina, Public Information Coordinator

USDA Rural Development celebrated a magnificent Earth Day in the bright spring sunshine at Vandalia Lake in Fayette County, Illinois, last Thursday.  The clouds rolled away just hours before we joined Fayette Water Company (FWC) to mark the advent of abundant safe water for area residents. With Vandalia Lake as the backdrop, State Director Colleen Callahan announced that Rural Development was providing $1,275,500 in affordable funding to make FWC’s project possible.

Story by Student Reporter Jessi Southworth

By Deidra McGee, US Forest Service Public Affairs Specialist

The announcement of the More Kids in the Woods (MKIW) challenge cost-share program highlights  the multiple outcomes of many USDA Forest Service programs not only within the Agency, but across the Department and reaching to White House initiatives.