Meet the Newest Member of our Team!
David Melancon joined the ToolBank team at the beginning of April. After Hurricane Ida devastated parishes in southeastern Louisiana, David volunteered as the Logistics Coordinator for Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. He coordinated the delivery of thousands of meals and truckloads of supplies. David joined Catholic Charities as the Associate Director of Disaster Response and Preparedness, relocating to Thibodaux, LA, where he was born and raised.
In his TDS role, David combines his love for being an instrument of change for the betterment of all community members, tools, and working in the non-profit realm into one job. David loves spending time with his family and dogs, traveling, and enjoying all the parades, fairs, and festivals New Orleans and the Pelican State offer.
Favorite Tool: Impact Driver…where diversity meets power to create change!
ToolBank Disaster Services Update
Our ToolBank Disaster Services team continues to respond to a number of disasters across the US. One of the most recent were the tornadoes that ravaged the landscape of Mississippi. Our TDS team stopped in Amory, MS, on their way to Rolling Fork. To put things into perspective regarding the gravity of this tornado outbreak, Amory is almost 200 miles away from Rolling Fork. Homes, vehicles, and businesses have been completely demolished across the entire state.
Upon arriving in Rolling Fork, MS, our team could see widespread devastation that will require a lot of manpower. Organizations like Volunteer Mississippi have set up volunteer response centers in the community. They are working to mobilize unaffiliated volunteers from across the US that have come into town to help with the relief efforts. Any able-bodied individual can help in a food or water distribution station or with the removal of debris. If you are in the area or know of anyone interested in making a trip to volunteer, visit www.volunteermississippi.org for more information.
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:
Earth Day activities were in full swing with the majority of our ToolBanks and Atlanta was no exception. The Atlanta team had the pleasure of spending a day at Inspire Brands for a special build during their Good Citizens Month. They also provided tools to a number of local volunteer projects helping clean up fields, streams, parks and trails. One of their members, WestRock, were able to use a free tool lending credits to borrow the tools they need for some real impactful change in the community.
Check out this amazing video of Park Pride celebrating Earth Day with ToolBank tools cleaning up and beautifying Stone Hogan Park. Along with Friends of Stone Hogan Park, City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation, Trees Atlanta and LIFE Church. Always great to see all of the blue tools being put to work in the community!
Baltimore ToolBank Update:
The Baltimore ToolBank hosted a wildly productive volunteer project with their neighbors from Emergent BioSolutions in April. Their team helped finish mulching the rain gardens as well as remove litter from the ToolBank’s shared streets. They collected and disposed of more than 215 pounds of litter in one morning! That’s more than 20 pounds per volunteer! The ToolBank team aims to make this neighborhood effort a quarterly event and will partner with Emergent to engage their employees in meaningful service less than three blocks away from their southwest Baltimore campus!
The Baltimore ToolBank also hosted the Dumpster Dive! Their friends from Volunteering Untapped Baltimore brought out volunteers and Mr. Trash Wheel brought the…trash! Waterfront Partnership managed the event so they could kick data out to Trash Free Maryland. Needless to say, the spirit of collaboration is alive in well in Baltimore with so much help from our affiliate ToolBank!
Check out this news story from WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore. It highlights the Dumpster Dive hosted at the Baltimore ToolBank warehouse.
Charlotte ToolBank Update:
April was a month of milestones at the Charlotte ToolBank. Even small blue tool orders can add up and The Alliance Center for Education order put the ToolBank over a combined retail value of $14 million of tools and special event items loaned since they opened their doors. The ToolBank staff celebrated with lunch together to mark the occasion.
The Toolbank also hosted their huge Tool Rush sale in April. They even had some help promoting the event from their friend at Wilson’s World from WCCB Charlotte. This Tool Rush was a 3 day event where the ToolBank sells new and gently used tools for up to 50% off their retail price. The sale is open to the public and items on sale included:
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Landscaping Equipment: blowers, trimmers
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Extension Ladders: 24′ & 28′
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Sockets & Sets, Ratchets, Mechanic Tool Sets
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Pressure Washers
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Wrenches, Adapters, Screwdrivers, Chisels
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Saws & Blades, Grinders & Grinding Wheels
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Drills & Drivers, Bits & Sets
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Pliers, Vise-Grips, Channel Locks
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Carpentry Saws & Equipment
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Oscillating Tools, Blades & Sets
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Tool Boxes, Belts, Gloves
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And so much more!
Cincinnati ToolBank Update:
April was a busy month at the Cincinnati ToolBank. Their team is in the midst of a major renovation of their second floor. This massive undertaking has been made possible by the generous donations from a ton of their partners including: Valley Interior Systems, ClarkDietrich, CertainTeed, Perfection Group, Waltek Company, Ltd., Kraft Electrical Contracting, RTF Fire Protection, Lithko Contracting, Elevar Design Group, Midwestern Plumbing, and Turner Construction Company. For more information about the renovation, check out their article in Movers & Makers.
Also, during the last weekend in April, Habitat for Humanity Greater Cincinnati hosted their largest Rock the Block in Bond Hill. The ToolBank equipped their 400+ volunteers as they tackled 30 project sites and utilized over $60K worth of blue tools.
Houston ToolBank Update:
Blue tools were hard at work in the Houston community for a number of Earth Day celebrations. Westchase District borrowed ToolBank equipment for their Trails without Trash cleanup in honor of Earth Day. This event was in partnership with Keep Houston Beautiful and the Houston ToolBank. District F Council Member Tiffany D. Thomas provided opening remarks at the event and representatives from Houston City Council District G participated. In addition, groups from Alief Super Neighborhood Council, BMC Software, DBR, EHRA Engineering, Gauge Engineering, Jr. Gents, Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. – LAN, Riner Engineering, West Grounds Maintenance, and West Houston Association along with many individual volunteers took part in the Trails without Trash cleanup.
Phoenix ToolBank Update:
The Phoenix ToolBank welcomed, Joe Lopez, their new Warehouse Program Manager. The ToolBank also hosted their first in-person Earth Day 5k. They coupled the event with a clean up and were able to make a great impact on cleaning up Esteban Park.
Check out this incredible Member testimonial for the Phoenix ToolBank from their friends at Arizona Sustainability Alliance. This group’s main purpose is to create and support cutting-edge, project-based sustainability solutions in Arizona.
Richmond ToolBank
April’s always a busy month for the Richmond ToolBank, but even their team was impressed with the number of community projects and Build Change sessions that were knocked out. Volunteers helped build 𝟴𝟭 picnic tables in April that will be put to good use during the upcoming summer months. Here’s a breakdown of what the Richmond ToolBank, along with their volunteers were able to accomplish last month:
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𝟮𝟵𝟲 Volunteers
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𝟴𝟭 Picnic Tables
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𝟭𝟳 Raised Garden Beds
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𝟲 Park Benches
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𝟮 Compost Bins
If you’re in the Richmond area and looking for ways to volunteer…check out the ToolBank. Thanks to their Building Change program, they were able to install a pocket park in Scott’s Addition creating a green oasis in this busy neighborhood. Pocket parks align with the ToolBank’s mission of providing safe and inviting spaces for community members, and their team has enjoyed being a part of this process from start to finish.
All of the benches, picnic tables, lending libraries, and trash huts were built by our corporate and community partners that participated in Building Change program.
Windy City ToolBank
The Windy City ToolBank hosted their Grand Opening on April 24th. Jim Flory and his board of directors were joined by 40+ people including representatives from Elk Grove Village, Home Depot, Suncast and a number of individuals from their member agencies. Sounds like the Grand Opening was a huge success and we look forward to seeing the momentum this brings to the Chicago community!
