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The Other Side of the Fence

Members of Farmers and Fannin ECs turn old pickets into frames and help provide water in Africa

Using old fence pickets, a little ingenuity and a passion for recycling, Recherché Furnishings in Rowlett has come up with a line of products that helps keep waste out of landfills—and provide water to communities in Egypt and Ghana.

Jan and Cliff Hand, members of Farmers and Fannin County electric cooperatives and Recherché’s owners, also won a 2015 Keep Texas Beautiful Award for the Naturals Reclaimed Frames line. The frames are 99 percent recycled and include old cardboard for the backing and canned drink tabs for the wall hangers.

In addition, the Hands started the Turning Wood Into Water Campaign, which donates 10 percent of all frame sales to an organization that uses the proceeds to dig water wells in Egypt and Ghana. Recherché, which means elegant, has sold thousands of frames since the campaign began about a year ago.

“The most surprising aspect of has been the overall demand for rustic, reclaimed frames,” Jan Hand says. “Since 2014, we have shipped frames to customers in almost all 50 states and some overseas.”