TOOLBANK NETWORK NEWS – FEBRUARY 2023

by | Feb 21, 2023 | News

Our team at ToolBank USA looks forward to keeping all of our ToolBankers up-to-date with what is happening across our network. Thank you for reading our monthly newsletter and don’t forget to follow ToolBank USA and our affiliates on social media for immediate updates! Affiliate social media links can be found below their updates.

ToolBank’s Cross Country Road Trip

Our ToolBank Disaster Services (TDS) team embarked on a cross country road trip from Atlanta to Sacramento in January. Bill Hess, TDS Program Director, was joined by our new Sacramento ToolBank Disaster Services Program Manager, James Ramos. The Ford F250 and trailer were loaded with tools to help with wildfire relief in California. Bill and James made a number of pitstops along the way including one in Oklahoma to get their favorite gas station snacks: hotdogs and Ne-Mo’s carrot cakes! Along the way, the guys are fielding a bunch of requests from people needing our tools in the Sacramento area, so when they arrived they were ready to hit the ground running and loaning out tools.
 
Upon arriving in California James and Bill were pretty much immediately lending tools to disaster relief partners. Check out our video with the team from Hope Crisis Response Network. Tools are on the ground in California and will be making an impact for those rebuilding after the Oak Fire. Bill met up with Tammi from the Alliance for Community Transformation. She explained to us that their community lost over 129 homes and 214 individuals and families were displaced after the fire.

Long-Term Recovery Efforts Continue After Hurricane Ian

Work continues in the Fort Myers area after Hurricane Ian. Deanna from our ToolBank Disaster Services team has been loaning tools to so many organizations doing incredible work in the community. She recently met up with Chris and our little furry friend, Gus, from Adventures in Missions. Chris and his volunteers will be focusing on the Harlem Heights area and working on approximately 156 homes. In 2023, Adventures in Missions hopes to bring over 3,000 volunteers to the area to aid in the disaster relief and rebuilding efforts. They will be utilizing ToolBank tools during their mission trips to help get people back into their homes.

NEW Tool Order Manager (TOM) is coming…and in some cases has already arrived at your local ToolBank!

TOM implementation is off and rolling! A number of our ToolBanks have been transitioned over from LFNt and have gone through training with the ToolBank USA team. This platform will help our members place tool orders more efficiently and allow us to have better reporting on all of the wonderful projects our members are doing in the community.
 
Please be on the lookout for emails from the your local ToolBank about when you will be switching over to the new system. These emails will provide essential instructions on how our members need to transition over to TOM. We look forward to getting all our members on the new platform in coming months. Stay tuned for more updates!
LEARN MORE ON OUR BORROW TOOLS PAGE

Check out what’s going on at each of our ToolBanks across the nation. Scroll down to each affiliate and expand the text block to read more about your favorite ToolBank team. All of our affiliates are doing amazing work and we can’t wait to share their updates with you monthly.

Make sure and scroll through the images to the right of our affiliate updates. Most of the updates come with a couple of images related to their article.

Atlanta ToolBank Update:

The Atlanta ToolBank fielded over 30 tool orders for MLK Day. It took a ton of preparation, but it was all worth it to get the tools in the hands of eager volunteers. A BIG shout out to all our fellow nonprofits and the service projects in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. When MLK Day finally rolled around, the warehouse was completely empty! All the tools were in the hands of volunteers completing service projects in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The ToolBank team missed their tools, but wanted to share pictures their bare warehouse to show off the volume of tools being used during this day of service.

Baltimore ToolBank Update:
Like many of our other ToolBanks across the nation, Baltimore was help supporting efforts for the MLK Day of Service. In celebration of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Baltimore ToolBank hosted teams from Allegis Group & Clark Construction for a range of tasks that empower their team to serve the servers.
By the numbers:
• 239 blue tools washed using gray water
• 200+ playground blocks cleaned
• 240 hand tools re-branded (re-blued)
• 30 wheelbarrows refurbished
• 850 gloves paired
• 50 tarps cleaned and organized
• 120 chairs cleaned
Volunteers help the Baltimore team deliver on their promise to have tools clean, sharp, and ready for community deployment. Many thanks to Business Volunteers Maryland & Civic Works for coordinating these groups to help the ToolBank.
 
Also, you might be wondering how Baltimore collects all that gray water to wash their blue tools. The Baltimore ToolBank re-purposes and divers more than 1 million gallons of precipitation annually. Check out their video shows what they do, where they do it, and why.
Stormwater Management at the Baltimore ToolBank
Charlotte ToolBank Update:

The Charlotte ToolBank hosted their first “Working Toolgether” event in January. Once a month, the ToolBank brings tools to a different partner agency along with their staff, board, and volunteers to help them get things done. The ToolBank team organized these days to give back and help the groups they work with regularly in a more involved way. In January the team helped their friends at the Carolina Raptor Center dig a trench to run electrical to light Matilda the Condor’s home and make her even safer. They also cleaned up Matilda’s enclosure so it has a new gravel and sand floor. Big thanks to Ernie and Maggie for guiding the group and educating them on all things birds. Bindy the Laughing Kookaburra even came to do a fly by for the volunteers! Go visit CRC to check out all the raptors and the work that the ToolBank team was able to accomplish.

Cincinnati ToolBank Update:
BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE
With the generous investment and support of local Cincinnati partners, construction on the second floor of the ToolBank is underway. The buildout of 10,000 square ft includes a dedicated training center, co-working space, conference room, meeting areas, offices and a kitchenette. Partners at Turner Construction, Elevar Design Group, Valley Interior, Clark Dietrich, Waltek, Kraft Electric, and Perfection Group have pledged support valued at over $200K. In addition to goods and services, they also plan to have skilled trades professionals work alongside students, providing a unique experience for students to explore multiple career pathways and apply the skills they learned in the classroom to a project that will impact their community for years to come. The project is estimated to be completed in the fall of 2023.
 
• Training Center: Will provide a much-needed space for schools, trade organizations, and community partners across the region to offer students career path exploration programs and entry level industry-recognized credential training.
• Co-Working Space: The pandemic has resulted in many of our partners letting go of their office space to save money. This project will dedicate approximately 1500 sq. ft to a co-working space for ToolBank members and partners to plug in get to work.
• Conference & Meeting Rooms: These rooms will be equipped with the technology to support virtual and hybrid meetings.
• Kitchenette – The best way to rally the community is to feed them. The kitchenette area will provide refrigerators and warmers for organizations utilizing the training and meeting space. This will also serve as a break room for staff and volunteers.
• ToolBank Offices – The ToolBank staff has become proficient over the years at making do with less-than-ideal working conditions and producing impressive results. They are excited to see just how much more of an impact our staff will have with real offices and less distractions.
 
We can’t wait to see the progress of the buildout throughout the year. It’s always great to showcase the incredible improvements going on in our ToolBanks network.
Houston ToolBank Update:
Sending out a huge congratulations to Houston Toolbank for receiving a grant through Montgomery County Community Foundation’s Family Legacy Partners Endowment Fund to expand and support their nonprofit tool lending program in Montgomery County. The ToolBank established a new tool distribution hub in Conroe with the help of a grant from the Community Foundation.
 
The Houston ToolBank also supported a number of projects for the MLK Day of Service with partners that included The Woods Project, Black United Fund of Texas, Recycle With Me World, City of Houston Department of Neighborhoods, and Gardenkids of Kemah.
Phoenix ToolBank Update:
In mid-January the Phoenix ToolBank welcomed Valley of the Sun United Way’s grass roots grant partners for a resource fair at the ToolBank. VSUW, along with their partner Stardust Building Supplies offered goodies for the guests and the ToolBank team provided tours of the warehouse to share information about their amazing inventory available to support volunteer projects. They had a great turn out and met lots of new organizations that they hope will turn into new member agencies.
 
While most of us watched the Super Bowl a few Sundays ago, we can bet not many people thought of the incredible projects happening around the Phoenix area to beautify the city before the big day. However, the Phoenix ToolBank was busy preparing tools for the NFL athletes, program directors, and volunteers to help in the Valley as part of NFL Green Week.
 
The NFL team planted 57 trees in honor of the game across the Valley. Susan Groh, the associate Director of the NFL’s Environmental Program said that Green Week is also about giving back to community schools as well. NFL Green Week hosted a “Super Kids Super Sharing” event, a school and sports equipment drive for local school students in need. The community was welcomed to bring donation items to any Valley of the Sun YMCA on Tuesday and Wednesday before the Thursday drive. The team also dropped by Phoenix Zoo to plant trees, bushes, and plants along the Africa Trail which will eventually lead toward the brand new Predator Passage exhibit. The project will reduce erosion and create cooling zones along the pathway.
NFL athletes team up for NFL Green Week before Super Bowl LVII - VIDEO
Richmond ToolBank
The first month of 2023 flew by for the Richmond ToolBank team and they were busy fulfilling tool orders at their warehouse. Their Building Change program helps community partners crush their goals and we think that’s a trend we can all get behind! Partners provide the muscle + energy, and the ToolBank supplies the materials, instructions, and tools. In January, the ToolBank was able to help 170 volunteers build 43 picnic tables, 10 raised garden beds, and 2 park benches. The picnic tables, park benches, and raised garden beds were donated to Pole Green Park, Ettrick and Motoaca Elementary School, and Henrico County Public Schools.
 
WEDNESDAY | March 1 | March 8 | March 15
9 AM – 1 PM
The ToolBank partnered up with Ring Dog Rescue and need help building 60 dog houses. As a volunteer, your efforts will directly benefit a four-legged friend in need.
Windy City ToolBank

Windy City ToolBank was visited by members of Klein & Hoffman Kares this past week. The K&H Kares team put together an amazing video to show off their favorite moments of the facility tour. Jim and the Windy City ToolBank board of directors looks forward to this amazing partnership and helping get more blue tools into the hands of volunteers across Chicago.

Consider helping the Windy City ToolBank FILL THE RACKS in Chicago by donating to their campaign at: https://givebutter.com/FilltheRacks.

Translate »
Skip to content