Nate Evans teaches seventh grade literacy in Ankney, Iowa, and he started building desks for kids who are learning remotely during the pandemic.
He started by paying for building supplies with his own money, but soon his project grew into something bigger and donations started rolling in after Evans posted about his idea on Facebook. He calls the project “Woodworking with a Purpose” and he has 50-plus volunteers to help. Together they’ve built around 600 desks for students and their goal is to make 2,020 by the end of the school year. Each one costs $20 to $25 to build and they’re hoping to raise an additional $30-thousand for materials.
"I became a teacher to help kids. That was it. It wasn't for the summer breaks," Evans says. "I volunteer wherever I can. I want to see them learn and grow ... learn and grow in my classroom ... I want to see them learn and grow at home too."
Here's Nate making another run to Home Depot.