Rural

Saving lives is all in a day’s work at Deborah Heart and Lung Center in Browns Mills, New Jersey. In over 100 years of operation, the hospital estimates it has healed 2.3 million patients from every corner of the US and 87 countries around the world.

Millions of children face a risk of hunger during the summer months when they no longer have access to school meals. USDA’s summer meal programs – the Summer Food Service Program and Seamless Summer Option – reduce food and nutrition insecurity and help ensure kids are healthy and ready to learn when they return to school in the fall. Nationwide, thousands of dedicated organizations sponsor summer meal programs and work tirelessly to offer high quality meals that are appealing and nutritious.

These days, many Virginia families are finding the search for reasonably priced housing to be a puzzle about as easy to solve as the infamous Rubik’s Cube. When they try to match up the four sides of location, cost, terms and financing, the “colors” just don’t align.

As USDA Rural Development (RD) highlights National Cooperative Month, one worker owned co-op in Massachusetts stands out as a model for sustainability, collaboration, and local food system resiliency. The saying goes “it’s not easy being green.” But for Real Pickles in Greenfield, Massachusetts, the co-op wouldn’t have it any other way; they went green in 2011 with the addition of solar panels on its roof.

On the brinks of Beaufort, South Carolina, lies the brimming, remote island of St. Helena where the Gullah farmers are hard at work. For years, the Gullah Geechee community, an African American ethnic group located in the low region of the U.S., have struggled to make a living off their biggest asset: their land.

Co-ops are a business structure, and like any business, they require hard work to be successful. They are unique in that they bring individuals together to solve issues they wouldn’t be able to solve on their own. Cooperatives can help communities by creating jobs, meeting social or economic needs, and improving community services. Despite a myriad of benefits, there are many myths that prevent people from recognizing their value.

McClellanville County is a rural community in South Carolina, and like many communities across rural America, access to high-speed internet presents real barriers. Families like Lindsay’s struggled to stay connected in the digital age. “When the kids came home from school and I was working, no one could get on,” said Lindsay. “Everyone had to stop and wait until I was done, and the kids would have to wait to do their homework.”

This month, I had the opportunity to travel to New Paltz, New York and visit with Peter Ferrante of Wallkill View Farm. Mr. Ferrante received funding through USDA Rural Development’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) to install a solar array on the rooftop of his farmers market in the Hudson Valley. REAP provides financing for renewable energy systems and can help agricultural producers or rural small businesses improve energy efficiency with new equipment and systems.

Cooperatives are a vital pillar of the U.S. economy and contribute essential goods and services to rural America. Many communities rely on cooperatives to provide locally grown food, housing, electricity, financial services, internet, retail services, and so much more.

Last year USDA Rural Development awarded more than $10 million in ReConnect Program funding to bring high-speed internet access to Madison County, New York. USDA’s ReConnect Program offers loans and grants to construct, improve, and build equipment to provide broadband service in eligible rural areas.