The Rural Blog

A digest of events, trends, issues, ideas and journalism from and about rural America, by the Institute for Rural Journalism, based at the University of Kentucky. Links may expire, require subscription or go behind pay walls. Please send news and knowledge you think would be useful to benjy.hamm@uky.edu.

The Rural Blog

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As traditional food bank volunteers age, finding enough workers to staff pantries is becoming a challenge

Grassroots efforts give rural W. Va. residents a transportation solution

Too few volunteer firefighters is an acute crisis in rural places; The 'antiquated model' must change

Emergency medical services aren't considered 'essential' in some states; 4.5 million people live in 'ambulance deserts'

Drivers in decline: Shortage of volunteers complicates reaching health care and other necessities in rural America

Teenagers are the entire staff of a rural New York volunteer ambulance service that had been depleted by the pandemic

Pandemic further stresses rural volunteer fire departments

Quick hits: Rural coroners often have little training; fears about food are driving shortages of canning supplies

Hunger roundup: food banks struggle; Trump letter in USDA food boxes draws protests; maximum SNAP benefits go up

Rural fire departments face extra challenges

House report warns of poll-worker shortage in swing states

Aided by covid-19 relief funds, longtime officer manager buys and resurrects closing rural Minnesota weekly

Outstanding rural volunteers could win $10,000 award; top local elected leaders must send in nominations by Aug. 15

Pandemic complicates response to huge California wildfire; check your county's wildfire risk with interactive map

Search-and-rescue teams, which rely mainly on rural volunteers, are being stretched thin by the pandemic

Rural food banks face new challenges amid pandemic