Gwinnett County

Gwinnett school bus driver dedicates time to making wooden desks for families in need

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A desk is not something normally on a back-to-school shopping list. But with so many families doing virtual learning, it has become a much-needed item.

Gwinnett County mother Michelle Minor and her sons realized this and got to work.

From her suburban garage and driveway, Michelle Minor and her sons are cranking out as many wooden desks as time allows.

It all began on a whim two weeks ago when Minor, who has a woodworking background, made one for her sons.

“I realized how cheap I could make these by using my skills. Put a feeler out on Facebook and NextDoor asking if anyone could use a desk,” Minor told Channel 2′s Tony Thomas.

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The orders have come pouring in. Some families are paying for them. Others are donating, so families in need can have one built.

“I’ve probably got about 30-40 desks that I need to make, and I just emailed this out last Wednesday,” Minor said.

Minor does in between driving a Gwinnett County school bus. Her older son Skylar uses his math skills to help his mom out while third grader Chase does what he can too.

“I’ve helped measure and cut. Some of the angles can be easily done,” Skylar said.

“Mostly painting, even though I don’t paint that much,” Chase said.

The Minor family is calling it the “Desks for Kids” project and are already planning to expand it outside the Brookwood High cluster.

Michelle Minor hopes to get other families to start building desks, but she is also drawing up some formal plans to put them online so that others can make them or build desks for families.