by Bella Stahl

Andres Ruiz, Fernando Rivera, and Martin Baskez are three ordinary dads from California. All three have kids, and some didn’t have any desks for themselves. The three came up with a solution of building desks for their kids which eventually, out of kindness, spiraled into building them for their whole community.  

“We never knew that something like this would touch so many people,” Rivera explained. “It blossomed into something I didn’t expect! It ultimately ended up not helping just us, but everybody.” 

Along with building desks, they started to collect school supplies such as, backpacks, notebooks, pencils, etc. Some desks they decided to sell, but for the most part, they gave them all away—for free. They built desks over the course of many weekends, eventually totalling up to 200 desks. Parents all over California were reaching out to get these desks of kindness. 

They’ve made 200 desks, 80 sold and 120 given away. They made them so that way they were light-weight and portable. To families that might be in need of a few extras, they give out headphones, backpacks, notebooks, writing utensils, and other school supplies. 

The three dads contribution to their community was greatly appreciated and proved that even just three people could make a big difference for their neighbors. They are now accepting donations in any school supply form. These three ordinary dads have given inspiration to other people across the State of California and the country, to help kids through this “new-normal” year.