Rural Project Examples Addressing Community engagement and volunteerism

Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey Counties (HCC)
Added December 2022

Need: To increase access to healthy foods in two rural Nevada counties.
Intervention: HCC and the Rural Health and Nutrition Initiative (RHNI) run food pantries, community and school gardens, a farmers market, and a greenhouse.
Results: The three food pantries together serve about 3,600 people and distribute over 100,000 pounds of food each month.

Schoharie County ACEs Team
Updated/reviewed December 2022

Need: Agencies in Schoharie County, New York were seeing a widespread trend of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in children and families they served.
Intervention: The Schoharie ACEs Team was formed as a way to educate rural communities about ACEs, the brain science behind it, and ways to build resiliency.
Results: The ACEs Team has put on 4 half-day educational conferences, 2 virtual conferences, and 10 trainings for various groups across the region, trained 3 school districts on trauma-informed care, and provided resources for families exposed to trauma.

Tri-Valley Opportunity Council Rural Transportation
Updated/reviewed October 2022

Need: Public transportation options in a rural 8-county area in northwest Minnesota.
Intervention: A coordinated public transportation and volunteer driver system which serves northwest Minnesota.
Results: Increased ridership and affordable access to transportation for residents of 8 counties in rural, northwest Minnesota.

Win With Wellness
Updated/reviewed October 2022

Need: To reduce risk of obesity and chronic disease in rural northwest Illinois.
Intervention: Win With Wellness (WWW) collaborates with community organizations and worksites to improve physical activity and eating behaviors and reduce weight among adults using a multi-component approach.
Results: From 2015 to 2018, the two participating counties initiated 28 Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) groups with 367 participants. In the second round of funding, WWW recruited 183 participants for 9 TOPS groups and 8 community Heart-to-Heart sites.

The Coffee Break Project
Added July 2022

Need: Men in the agriculture industry face high suicide rates due to factors including long hours, geographic isolation, lack of social opportunities, and stigma surrounding mental health care.
Intervention: The Coffee Break Project, a program led by the Southeast Health Group in southeastern Colorado, encourages mental health check-ins for farmers and ranchers through a public awareness campaign and casual coffee gatherings that utilize COMET, an intervention model developed specifically for rural communities.
Results: Between eight and 20 people typically attend each coffee gathering.

Project VISION
Updated/reviewed December 2021

Need: To reduce opioid use and increase quality of life in Rutland, Vermont.
Intervention: Project VISION works to reduce opioid use through community engagement.
Results: Since 2012, Project VISION has collected and disposed of 550 pounds of unused medications, reduced thefts by over 32%, and had a 50% improvement on a neighborhood quality of life survey.

Tea Time with Teens
Updated/reviewed November 2021

Need: To lower teen pregnancy rates in Marlboro County, South Carolina, and develop teen leaders.
Intervention: Tea Time with Teens brings together community leaders, mothers, and daughters to build life skills and make healthy decisions.
Results: Since 2009, the program has been educating teens on making healthy choices and adults on having meaningful conversations with teens.

Rural Project Examples: Community engagement and volunteerism