Utah Companies Give Free Desks For Remote Learning, Work

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – With classes at school canceled right now, students all across Utah have been studying and learning from home. One thing schools have that many homes don’t have, though, is a desk for students.

Utah residents, schools and businesses have been doing what they can to help others due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Working from home has never been the easiest thing for Lauren Roesbery to do.

Especially when it came to the desk she used for work in her spare bedroom.

“It was just this small little dinky little cheap desk,” she said with a laugh.

So, when a surprise package arrived at her West Jordan home on Tuesday that contained a new desk, she was shocked.

To help students work from home, a Salt Lake City cabinet shop has been making desks for kids and giving them away for free. There are good people in this world! We're doing a story on them for @KSL5TV at 5. We'll feature another company doing something similar at 6:30. #ksltv pic.twitter.com/rKRSF4ZHlA

— Alex Cabrero (@KSL_AlexCabrero) March 25, 2020

“This is the best thing that, seriously, I feel like at-home workers, that everyone has to work with, can have right now,” said Roesbery.

It turned out, one of Roesbery’s friends nominated her for a new desk. 

That friend saw, on social media, the Utah-based company Walker Edison was giving away free desks for those who could use one for a home office.

“We have to pitch in where we can and we have to help these people,” said Brad Bonham, company CEO.

Bonham said the company decided to give away desks after their own workers started working from home and didn’t have a home office desk. 

So far, Bonham said they’ve given away almost 700 free desks across the country.

“You know, I think in times like this, I think there’s more important things than making money,” said Bonham. “Our business has been richly blessed by the community around us, and we wanted to give back where we could. We love helping the community.”

It’s not just larger companies donating desks to the public.

 Smaller companies, like Homewood Creations in Salt Lake City, have been doing the same thing.

“We’re really just tired of feeling like we couldn’t give back, and so we put our skills and our shop into doing something,” said Brandon Jensen, who works at Homewood Creations based near the Salt Lake International Airport. 

Homewood Creations is normally a cabinet-making shop.

However, when workers saw pictures of students doing homework on kitchen tables, couches, and beds, they decided, why not make a simple desk for them and give it to them for free?

Workers have been volunteering overtime hours after their cabinet-making duties, in order to make the desks with extra wood the company has.

“They go above and beyond,” said Jensen. “It’s not just focused on building the cabinets and doing the bare minimum. We want to make a name for ourselves.”

So far, workers have made about 350 desks, but have nominations for nearly 2000 more.

They’re not taking any more orders on their website until they can get more supplies.

“A lot of our vendors have chipped in and have donated wood, edge banding, glue and whatever we need to make these desks,” said Jensen.

Homewood Creations planned on filling all their current desk orders, because they feel kids really need them right now.

“It’s awesome,” said Jensen. “I’m proud of our company.”