Rio Grande Fence Co. of Nashville Selects Old School Farm for 5th Annual Good Friday Service Project

Rio Grande Fence Co. of Nashville will donate and install 830 total linear feet of 10' height chain link fence on Good Friday, April 19, 2019, to Old School Farm in the Bells Bend area of Nashville, for the Company's 5th Annual Good Friday Service Project.

The new fence will provide perimeter security to Old School Farm's 1.7-acre micro farm that produces quality farm-to-table food while providing employment to individuals of all abilities.

"Our annual selection process somehow involves a nudge from above, if you will. Following a meeting of my church's and Old School Farm's clergy leadership, I received an email from my Reverend," said Derek Smith, Chief Operating Officer, Rio Grande Fence Co. of Nashville.

"He detailed Old School Farm's need for new fencing to protect their crops and further their service to greater Nashville," Smith said. "Their produce is available at St. George's Farmers Market. They are sustainably employing folks with developmental disabilities. We could, and should, meet their need, I believed."

Dustin Jacobson, Executive Director of Old School Farm, explained how the new fence would impact the farm's operational success.

"In 2018 we calculated that deer alone consumed $20,000 in sellable produce because our fence around the agricultural field needed to be replaced. With the new fence generously donated through the Good Friday Service Project, Rio Grande Fence Co. will be assisting the Old School Farm in keeping deer and other area wildlife out of our field, as well as returning at least $20,000 in profitability per year," Jacobson said. "Those funds will now be available for the Old School Farm to offer more vocational training, education, and job opportunities to people of all abilities!"

Each year since 2015, Rio Grande Fence Co.'s Good Friday Service Project has provided perimeter security and peace of mind to a deserving Nashville-area organization. Over the years, the Good Friday Service Project has become a favorite project of the Company's staff, with 100% employee participation.

Since 1958, Rio Grande Fence Co. of Nashville, The Commercial Fence Professionals™, has been installing and repairing fence for commercial and industrial projects in the Mid-South region. Rio Grande's work can be seen at Nashville's police precincts, Nissan Stadium, Nashville International Airport, and many other businesses, sports facilities, and government projects. Rio Grande Fence Co. won the American Fence Association National Fence Contractor of the Year Award in 2013, 2014, and 2016.