ALTOONA, Iowa — Woodworking With A Purpose started making desks for remote-learning kids back in September. Since then, they've made over 1,800 desks.
On Tuesday, the organization set up shop at the Outlets of Des Moines to build 120 desks over three days. Their goal is to make over 2,000 desks by the end of this event.
The building process started Tuesday and will continue through Thursday. Desks will be given away to kids on Saturday from 12-2 p.m. at the Outlets of Des Moines.
"Our goal is to give kids a place to grow and learn at home, whether it's during a pandemic or not. It just so happened that we were in the middle of a pandemic when this idea came to me," said Nate Evans, founder of Woodworking With A Purpose. I followed my faith and got started back in September."
Thirty volunteers drilled, glued and sanded two different sizes of desks in the vacant store Tuesday, which is right across from Sketchers.
Evans said with students working so much at home during the current pandemic, they needed to help them create their own space.
"If you've got little brothers, sisters, dogs barking, whatever; you need your own space and to have that in your own room is vital for a kid to have," Evans said. "Not every kid is going to have one, not every kid is going to be able to afford one, and if I can help make that happen, if we can help make that happen, that just gives them that space."
See just how far Evans has come since September— watch previous coverage on Local 5's YouTube channel