TOOLBANK NETWORK NEWS – MARCH 2023

TOM is HERE!…along with so much more going on across the country

We are pleased to announce that all of our ToolBank affiliates and Disaster Services locations are now using our new Tool Order Manager (TOM). This system launch has taken the majority of the first quarter of 2023 and has sent most of our ToolBank USA team across the country to help the affiliates with the transition. Our team is currently working on implementing system updates and improvements. These include minor fixes as well as building out expansive reports and dashboards.

Our ToolBank team was back in California the last week of February and teamed up with our supporters at UPS for a build day benefiting local Los Angeles nonprofits. UPS volunteers built picnic tables and benches for Athens Park, Los Angeles Youth Foundation, Neighborhood Housing Services of Los Angeles County, and Fly Compton Foundation. We will be assisting with a number of other UPS volunteer bid days in the coming weeks and months. Stay tuned for more updates!

Finally, planning is underway for our ToolBank Summer Summit being held in Tampa, FL the week of June 26. We will be sending out a survey regarding in-classroom session topics within the next week. Also, our team is working with some of our disaster services partners in Florida to partner on a volunteer day to aid with recovery from Hurricane Ian. If plans for volunteering to assist with hurricane relief don’t pan out, we will look into doing a build day to benefit a school, park, or neighborhood in the Tampa area.

ToolBank Disaster Services Update

Our ToolBank Disaster Services Team is in the initial stages of preparing to deploy tools to help with recovery efforts in the San Bernadino Mountain area after they received and excessive amount of snowfall. In late February, the area was hit with more than 100 inches of snow. Search and rescue has been slow moving due to the amount of snow and once that process has ended, TDS will be sending tools to help with the following stages of relief. TDS Director, Bill Hess, is planning on purchasing tools, getting them branded in our signature ToolBank blue, and then shipping them out to the impacted area with the support of our sponsors at UPS. Tool lending continues in Sacramento to aid with wildfire repairs / recovery as we look for warehouse space for our operations.

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.

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 team is looking to hire a Volunteer & Warehouse Manager to lead their tool lending services, work with member agencies and manager volunteers. If you know of anyone looking for an incredible career opportunity in the Atlanta area with the ToolBank, please pass along this link and information for them to apply: https://bit.ly/3jX60g8.

Also, if you have some young builders in your house that are looking to sharpen their skills with tools, check out the Atlanta’s ToolLAB program. The ToolBank has monthly sessions for children 5-13.

Baltimore ToolBank Update:

At the end of February, volunteers from RK&K joined the Baltimore ToolBank team at their warehouse on what happened to be a beautiful day to help them make some blue tools bluer! The volunteers logged more than 30 service hours in one afternoon and painted 115 long-handled tools, re-stripe 14 wheelbarrows, and helped count 1901 tools to help with the warehouse’s inventory process. These efforts will help the Baltimore ToolBank show off their shiny blue inventory during media coverage of The Mission Continues’ Mass Deployment 2023 #DISTRICTDRILLDOWN in Washington, DC this coming June.

Operation District Drilldown Impact Goals

Engage 100+ veterans from across the United States
Engage 100+ local Washington, DC-area veterans
Complete 60+ projects in support of the DC community, partnering with local organizations providing direct services and support to numerous communities in The District
Engage 200+ community members in service alongside our veterans
Contribute approximately $200,000 worth of community service to DC over the course of 5 days

We can’t wait to see those blue tools in action during this project in June!

Charlotte ToolBank Update:

In-between getting TOM launched at the Charlotte ToolBank and hosting a number of volunteer projects and TOM training sessions, the ToolBank took a look back to 5 years ago when they brought home the coveted Golden Hammer trophy for ToolBank of the Year. They had just finished 2017 where they provided 28,256 tools to 167 organizations on 743 orders. Since that time, their numbers for 2022 have grown to providing 46,930 tools to 313 organizations on 966 orders. Keep up the great work in 2023, Charlotte and we hope TOM will make those numbers get even bigger!

At the end of February, Charlotte also hosted their second “Working Toolgether” event. It’s a day once a month where they bring ToolBank tools to a different partner agency along with staff, board, and volunteers to help them get things done. For the February project, the Charlotte team helped their friends at Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) do some work on the outdoor space that their guests regularly enjoy when the weather is nice. The team cleared the patios with blowers, pressure washed the concrete, weeded their pathways, and helped clean up the reflection pond and children’s playground.

Cincinnati ToolBank Update:

The Cincinnati ToolBank was invited to join Rhinegeist, one of the largest breweries in Cincinnati, at their launch of their new bright, crisp, and refreshingly easy hop ale, BEERS FOR HUMANS. The event was held at the end of February on a Sunday at the brewery. Rhinegeist highlighted 5 of their favorite nonprofit friends and the Cincinnati ToolBank was amongst that group. The event also featured a pop-up roller-skating rink, local shops and snacks. The ToolBank brought staff and board members to work the booth and talk to event attendees.

Houston ToolBank Update:

The Houston ToolBank attended the check reception and presentation for the Giving Machine. The ToolBank team received a big check for $12,425 from the group! The Giving Machine was stocked with donation cards for 4 local Houston charities and 3 global charities. Items that you could donate funds for the ToolBank included: a claw hammer for $10, a painting kit for $25, a desk for a student for $55, a portable table saw for $250, and a generator for $500. The Giving Machine is such a cool concept and we hope to see these “vending machines” in other ToolBank cities!

Phoenix ToolBank Update:

Blue tools were out in the community in Phoenix for a project that brought together groups from City of Glendale, Arizona, Lowe’s Home Improvement, and Rebuilding Together Valley of the Sun. Hundreds of volunteers teamed up to complete essential repairs in Glendale’s Ocotillo Rose neighborhood at six homes and four community sites. This Super Bowl-sanctioned event, Kickoff to Rebuild, is a partnership between Rebuilding Together Valley of the Sun, Lowe’s Home Improvement, the NFL, and the city of Glendale.

The Phoenix ToolBank was also involved in the Super Fest 2023 along with The Matthew Foundation Inc. Super Fest’s purpose is to showcase inclusion and provide an opportunity for youth with developmental disabilities to participate together with their peers, be genuinely welcomed, have activities designed with their needs in mind, and made to feel a part of the biggest sporting events in the country. They helped support this amazing event with tables, chairs, tents, etc. The equipment that they borrowed cost them less than 33% of what the equipment would have been worth for rental.

Richmond ToolBank

February was a busy month at the Richmond warehouse. Their community + corporate volunteers showed up and were able to not only complete a lot of projects but prepare for our collaborative build with Ring Dog Rescue in March! The muscle and energy provided by over 100 volunteers in February was able to build:

𝟭𝟴 Dog Houses
𝟭𝟯 Picnic Tables
𝟭𝟮 Raised Garden Beds
𝟭𝟬 Cornhole Boards
𝟮 Park Benches

Are you in the Richmond area and looking for a fun corporate volunteer experience? Check out Richmond’s annual Hammers & Ales event on June 10, 2023 and the 3 building opportunities for your team to enjoy. Head over to the Richmond event page for more information. https://www.richmondtoolbank.org/hammers-and-ales

Windy City ToolBank

The Windy City ToolBank is slowly clawing its way out of winter and starting to re-emerge from hibernation and fulfill tool orders for volunteer events in the community. They’ve brought on some help for fund-raising with the help of Karen D’Agostino from the Cincinnati ToolBank. She’s been able to jumped in with both feet and Chicago is already seeing signs of progress. The ToolBank will also be holding their Grand Opening event on April 21st to kick off the first full season of tool lending impact in Chicagoland. Click here to RSVP for the Windy City Grand Opening!

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