Success Stories

Introduction In the heart of rural Dorchester County, South Carolina, nestled a short distance from the hustle and bustle of Charleston, stands the historic St. George Rosenwald School. Once a beacon of education for African American students during the segregation era, this… [Read More]

Whitesville Rural Volunteer Fire Department has received $3,300,000 through the USDA Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program to construct the new Cane Bay Fire Station in Berkeley County's Cane Bay community. Berkeley County, known for its rapid growth, houses over… [Read More]

Columbia, S.C., February 9, 2024 - Last fall, the Rural Utilities Service Administrator Andrew Berke visited Bamberg, South Carolina, to announce a significant $24 million investment through the ReConnect Program for broadband infrastructure enhancements in Orangeburg and… [Read More]

Family is important to Johnny Murdaugh. When raising his own in Orangeburg, South Carolina, he had to travel outside of his community to enjoy fun activities with his children. Frustrated with the lack of access to entertainment centers and amusement parks, he decided to do… [Read More]

Homeownership is still the “American Dream” for many people living in America and for Ms. Jacqueline Turner, this dream was no different.  USDA Rural Development (RD) helped Turner realize that it’s not just a dream it’s now a reality. Recently Turner applied for a home… [Read More]

Lindsay is a working mother in McClellanville, South Carolina, and like many people living in rural communities, lacking access to reliable, high-speed internet used to be a challenge that affected her entire family.   “Especially when the kids came home from school,… [Read More]

For many people across the U.S., local libraries serve as a vessel for community and economic development. But residents in Orangeburg County, South Carolina, went without an updated local library for several years, and the effects were felt throughout the community. But… [Read More]

McClellanville is a small town in rural South Carolina whose economy relies heavily on commercial fishing and seafood production. Unlike other coastal towns in South Carolina, McClellanville has kept its working waterfront from developing into high-end residential property,… [Read More]

St. Helena Island, South Carolina, is home to the Black-owned Gullah Farmers’ Cooperative. The co-op is named after the Gullah Geechee, an African American community known for its careful preservation of African cultural heritage in South Carolina and Georgia.   “This… [Read More]

Larry Harris and his son, Julian Harris of Harris Farms, LLC often struggled to find a way to package and distribute their fresh produce and increase their sales. Fortunately for them and many other farmers, USDA Rural Development (RD) assisted in finding a solution to this… [Read More]