Pittsburgh Good Deeds owner makes free desks for students in need - TribLIVE

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The founder of a local nonprofit has been making desks for students learning from home, and business has been booming, he said.

Jon Potter, 30, of Shaler said his nonprofit, Pittsburgh Good Deeds, has made nearly 50 wooden school desks since September. He and some volunteers have built them out of sanded plywood to give out for free or for a small $30 donation.

Potter, a contractor by trade, said his wife – who works at UPMC Children’s Hospital – came home one day and told him about a child who was excited to get a desk to be able to do school work. The child has been learning from home under Pittsburgh Public Schools’ hybrid learning model.

“I never thought about kids at home who might have a hard time learning,” he said, adding the difficulty is only compounded when large families don’t have desks or enough space to do school work.

Potter said he decided to design and build some desks with his father, Scott, in the garage. He then published a quick post on Facebook.

“So now we’ve made and given away close to 50. And we’re still getting more requests. It’s been bigger than I thought,” Potter said.

He said most requests are coming from families with children who attend Pittsburgh Public Schools but that people from all over the region have asked for the desks.

Potter said the desks are nothing extravagant; they get the job done. He said he’s able to build three desks, which have an uncovered compartment to store supplies, each time he buys material. By request, he can stain or paint them.

The typical dimensions are 32 inches wide by 18 inches deep and 26 inches tall. But Potter said he can alter those sizes if needed.

He used to deliver them, but since he works full time, that task became too time-consuming. The desks are available for pickup, he said.

Dave Orlowski said he ran into Potter on Reddit, a social media website, where he learned Potter is somewhat of a “local legend.” Orlowski said he always wanted to help out with projects but could never find the time between work and family.

An engineer by trade and a U.S. Navy veteran, he has been out of work now since March and searching for opportunities in the nonprofit arena. When the opportunity came along to help Potter build desks that would be available for free to students in need, Orlowski jumped on it. He has helped build and paint around 15 desks so far.

Orlowski, 41, of Etna, even accepted two desks for both of his children. He’s now working with Potter in logistics and the business side of Pittsburgh Good Deeds.

“I’ve done the corporate thing,” he said. “I just got to the point where I was saying like I don’t know if this is what I want to do with my whole life – so I’m switching directions.”

To request a school desk, email pghgooddeeds@gmail.com.

Dillon Carr is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Dillon at 412-871-2325, dcarr@triblive.com or via Twitter .

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