Dad Makes 35 Desks For Local Kids Who Are Learning From Home

Kids have been back to school for about a month now, and for many, that means distance learning. A year ago we probably would’ve laughed if you told us our kids would be attending school at home while watching their teacher and classmates on a screen, yet, here we are.

Even for parents who have the option of sending their kids to a hybrid program that allows them to go to school in-person part of the week, the rest of their school time is spent at home.

You know what every child gets when they get to a normal school classroom? A desk. They sit down at a desk to do their schoolwork. 

You know how many people had desks at home for their kids before distance learning became a thing? Not enough. That’s for sure.

There was definitely a run on desks over the summer. I saw many people complaining that stores were out of desks or that the desks were going to take weeks to arrive. 

Then there are the people who can’t afford desks. Especially when the inexpensive desks were sold out, the only option their kids would have would be to work from the dining room table.

One dad named Mitch Couch got inventive. His children started out working from the dining room table, but it was annoying dealing with their schoolwork everywhere when it was time to eat a meal.

Couch created a simple plan for a child’s desk that was inexpensive to make, fairly easy to make, and even folded away when they were done with school for the day.

He shared photos of the desk on Instagram and offered the plans for the desk on Etsy for 99 cents if anyone wanted to make a similar desk for their own children.

Then Grocery Outlet contacted Couch and offered to pay for the supplies if Couch would make 25 desks for children who needed them in the local community. Eventually, that number increased to 35 desks.

Couch agreed to build the desks, and his wife starting building them. They have 8 more desks to build, and the order will be complete.

 

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I have to tell you about some amazing people in our community. The owners of the local Grocery Outlet saw my diy desk video and asked me if i could make some desks for them. They wanted to donate them to the local schools for the kids who are in need because of distant learning. I didn’t hesitate to help them out. They asked for 25 desks to start but the need was great so we upped it to 35!!! My wonderful wife helped me through the whole thing and even surprised me with four desks she made while I was at work. The owners wanted to keep it low key but I just have to let others know how much local business means to a community like ours. Thank you Karin and David for being wonderful people. #supportsmallbusiness #groceryoutlet

A post shared by Mitch Couch (@goodlyearth) on

If you would like to build a desk like one the ones Couch built, you can download the plans from his website. According to Couch, the supplies for the desk only cost about $20.