(CNSNews.com) -- Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced Wednesday that USDA is handing out $14.7 million in taxpayer money to community groups in rural areas to lend or give to rural businesses -- including to rural grocery stores. The USDA chief Wednesday announced 69 new spending projects under the Rural Business Enterprise Grants/Rural Economic Area Partnerships program (RBEG) and the Intermediate Re-lending Program (IRP).