The global pandemic of 2020 has made starting and building a small business in west central Missouri even more difficult. Now a regional effort to develop micro loan financing for rural entrepreneurs is gaining the steam it needs to help local businesses get going and...

Rides to Health and Wealth is a collaborative west central Missouri effort to build thriving people and places by increasing access to healthcare and community services using the HealthTran ride scheduling and resourcing platform. Rides to Health and Wealth...

A perfect storm of food needs during the Covid-19 Crisis presents west central Missouri with an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen local people and places with farm fresh foods. The free webinar Feed Communities Local Food Now is designed to help west central...

Local food farmer Katie Nixon is thankful, during this Covid-19 market upheaval, that she and her husband had put time into setting up an online ordering system. It has become critical for marketing the organic fruit, vegetables, and bedding plants they produce at...

For the outstanding high school or college student with an interest in journalism, marketing, and/or communications. Serve on a select regional team to promote west central Missouri communities. The summer 2020 opportunity is part of the regional Making Rural Visible...

Growing rural jobs and building community health is the purpose of the West Central Missouri Food Value Chain Project. Partner organizations are now working to fill three positions on this regional team. A food value chain is a coordinated network of people,...

Just a few more people getting off the highway to check out our small towns can make a big difference for rural west central Missouri. Tourism Tool. Here we would like to share news of a project New Growth initiated this year to get more people off the highway and...

Driving 30 minutes for their daughter’s soccer practice used to be stop-and-go traffic stress for Shellie and Jonas Unell. It turned into rolling countryside and gorgeous sunsets when they moved back a few years ago to Shellie’s rural hometown of Appleton City,...

Rural Missouri health network plans regional ride system Rural communities across America know very well how stranded they are without decent transportation options. Children are not able to participate in extracurricular activities. Retirees must move away to places...

Local farms and organizations partner up to build up farm to fork connections Putting farmers who grow fruits and vegetables together with people who want and need healthy food makes a lot of sense to Noel McKay. He is Social Service Coordinator with the national,...

Helping area farms grow their businesses in local and regional food markets is the focus of a three-year, $500,000 USDA Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) grant just awarded to the West Central Missouri Community Action Agency (West Central) food systems program. The...

Discussion lasted long after the Fifth Monday luncheon ended 1 p.m., Monday September 30, at the Liston Center in El Dorado Springs. Ideas flowed and connections grew after the panel of workforce development program directors addressed the crowd of more than 60...