COVINGTON, Ga. — Area residents will be able to receive desks and office equipment free of charge — while supplies last — in Newton County Saturday as part of a partnership between two nonprofits and a major home furnishings company. 

The drive-through event is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 12, at 10 a.m. in the parking lot outside the Newton County’s Sheriff Office’s West Precinct and will allow those in a vehicle to receive a desk, at least two office chairs and office equipment donated by home furnishings company IKEA, a news release stated.

District 3 County Commissioner-elect Alana Sanders organized the event at the precinct at 3612 Salem Road in the Kroger shopping center. 

“The students of District 3 of Newton County … will have the opportunity to receive work stations from IKEA as they learn virtually from home this fall,” a news release stated. 

Ashton Atkinson, loyalty manager for IKEA’s midtown Atlanta store, said the company donated 50 desks and such items as desk lamps and desktop computer stands.

IKEA had to make a special effort to remove from the sales floor what it was donating Saturday, she said. The store is “struggling” to keep up with demand for all types of office equipment because customers buy it up “every time the truck comes in,” Atkinson said.

“There are no desks in the store,” she said.

The donations are part of the company’s ongoing effort to support overall education. It will help some families adjust to virtual learning requirements by providing needed equipment to do so, she said.

“We want to support the local community,” Atkinson said. “A lot of families don’t have the support they need.”

Sanders and representatives of IKEA and nonprofits KIDpreneurs Inc. and Raising our Sons in America Inc. will be onsite to give out the supplies, the release stated. 

While supplies last, those in each vehicle will be able to receive a desk, at least two office chairs, and a computer stand and desk lamp for those who already have a desk.

Sanders was elected to the Newton County Board of Commissioners in June and will take office in January. She previously worked with the two nonprofits on similar projects, the news release stated. 

“One of the concerns for the newly-elected commissioner was to make sure that the students in her community will have an environment that is conducive to learning and to help parents in her area to cut costs,” the release stated. 

“Many have lost jobs and more because of the (COVID-19) pandemic. The partnership with IKEA allows parents in need to create a productive learning environment in their homes.”