Riverside man laid off because of COVID-19 builds desks for students

RIVERSIDE — A Riverside man who lost his job due to the COVID-19 pandemic has turned his hobby of woodworking into a way to help area families.

Since thousands of students are learning online, there’s a nationwide shortage for desks, so James DesLauriers started building them himself.

He told News Center 7′s Katy Andersen his days start early. “Typically, around 8 o’clock, I open up the garage door, get everything kind of pulled out and separated for the day,” DesLauriers said.

DesLauriers is not a carpenter by trade, but he is using skills he learned as a kid to build children desks. He said is started with a request from a friend who had trouble finding a desk for their child.

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“A lot of them have said they have tried Walmart, IKEA, all these other big brand box stores, they said we can’t find them,” DesLauriers said. “They are out for months, so I’ve got the means, I’ve got the ability to build them, I can get the material, so I’m doing it.”

Now, the requests keep coming in. Within a week, DesLauriers and his family have made more than 30 desks.

“Everything we are doing here is simply for the cost of materials only,” DesLauriers said. “There’s no profit at all. We are not trying to make any money. We just want to make sure that kids have an opportunity to experience a little bit more of their normal lifestyle, even if it’s at home.”

If you are interested in ordering a desk, you can contact DesLauriers at charmfromthefarm2018@gmail.com.

Cox Media Group