A local craftsman, Bill Schmidt, has been building beautiful, functional desks for children that measure 27 inches wide by 20 inches deep by 29.5 inches high. His goal is to give a child their own place at home to do homework. No more doing it on the kitchen table or living room floor. He is making these to give away free to families in need. If your child needs a desk, please contact the Community Pantry at 973 768-9468 and your request will be forwarded to him. The picture was taken at the West Milford Presbyterian Church during their free Christmas dinner give away. Photo and information provided by Bonnie Seufert.
Here’s the back story from Roberta Schmidt, Bill Schmidt’s wife:
It was a desperation move to keep him busy during this pandemic.
Bill is a semi-retired general contractor and by the fall decided that it was not wise to bring his subcontractors and others into someone’s home so he has stopped taking work until things look better.
At this same time, I retired from my work which left the two of us at home for the first time since we were married. Thank heavens for church volunteer work that kept me busy at the Community Food Pantry at the West Milford Presbyterian Church.
After seeing the incredible amount of people in need (probably double of what we saw last year), I remembered seeing a piece on TV about communities making school desks for kids who had no personal space of their own and no quiet for their virtual learning. Children were sitting at the table together, on the couch, on their bed, wherever they could find a spot.
It hit me that we have many similar issues in our community and so I looked up information on building the desks and proposed it to my husband.
He loved the idea and headed for Home Depot to pick up sheets of plywood, 2 x 4’s, lots of nails, stain and paint.
I am his “assistant” and do some of the painting and staining.
He has made 24 so far, 20 of which have already been designated.
He is thoroughly enjoying the project and each batch gets a little more fine-tuned. He happens to be an excellent carpenter with the right tools so it is a fun and purposeful project.
Plus, between my food pantry work and his desks, we keep plenty busy during these difficult times. It’s just as much a benefit to do something worthwhile – a feel-good plus.