U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development North Carolina State Director Reginald Speight recently announced a new round of investments totaling $17.6 million to support local economic development plans and projects in Rural Partners Network (RPN) communities in North Carolina.

“The Rural Partners Network has broken down barriers so underserved rural communities and

families can access the resources they need to prepare for the future,” Speight said in a press release. “Today, we’re celebrating several more examples of how aligning those resources with local blueprints for success will keep rural and Tribal communities across the country thriving for generations to come.”

One of the counties benefiting from these investments is Robeson County. In Robeson County, Lumbee River EMC will utilize a $1 million USDA Rural Economic Development Loan to assist in the expansion of the Puppy Creek Fire Department. The expansion will provide sleeping quarters for firefighters and a new ventilation area to comply with the new cancer health and safety initiative. 

Nationwide USDA is awarding more than $194 million in grants and loans to support 118 projects that will help rural and Tribal communities address immediate needs and create sustainable economic growth. Projects will lower costs for families, create jobs and grow businesses in rural areas that have been a bedrock of the country’s economic success for decades despite high rates of poverty and lack of opportunities in their own communities. 

The Biden-Harris Administration launched RPN in April 2022 to ensure people in historically underserved rural and Tribal communities receive their fair share of funding from federal agencies. Since its inception, federal agencies have invested over $8.5 billion across the 36 RPN community networks.

For more information on RPN, visit Rural.gov.