Philly tool library is looking for a new home for its 5,000 tools and roster of classes

The West Philly Tool Library has become a kind of institution in its neighborhood For Executive Director Jason Sanders this was the organization s goal from the start It started out as a very small organization of a limited hundred tools on Woodland Avenue in - but it s really grown into a larger area organization he reported in the last few days At this time we have advancing members who come in and borrow things and we ve had over students take our class campaign this year And it s really just affordable and accessible The library provides tools for rental items such as lawn mowers pressure washers and wheelbarrows Sanders stated another large part of the organization is providing classes We have a pretty robust class project of rotating classes where people can come and learn how to use the tools before they borrow them or how to do specific things before they start tearing down stuff at their own houses he disclosed So we have everything from trade-related things like plumbing drywall and electrical and even selected introductory woodworking classes And we also have skilled craftspeople who teach sewing mending and those types of things as well The tool library caters to all kinds of tool users its executive director commented Photo courtesy of West Philly Tool Library These tools were lately put into jeopardy when the organization s lease was not renewed The organization intends to relaunch its tool library on Dec and fully relaunch classes on Jan But in the meantime the organization is working to find its future home and fundraising to keep tools available and accessible Importance Tool library leaders say the space provides a lot of unique benefits for Philadelphians One Sanders explained is help with home maintenance particularly for aging homes There s a lot of aging infrastructure and older homes here he announced And if you are fortunate enough to be able to purchase a home there s usually a lot of repairs and upkeep and maintenance that you have to do And in particular cases there are very specialized tools or even yard maintenance equipment that not every single person necessities to own in order to have access to it and use it The tool library offers a variety of tools members can use Photo courtesy of West Philly Tool Library He reported there can also be safety concerns with homes that require the use of these kinds of tools People have safety-related things with their houses that absolutely need to be fixed he reported Things like their roof or their front porches all rotted away that need to be replaced There can also be specific foundation-related issues with their basement where water is coming in and different things Home repairs can also be expensive announced West Philly Tool Library facilitator John Creighton He declared multiple of his classes at the tool library address these concerns People can feel really overwhelmed when they get these houses and they want to make changes he reported It s expensive to hire someone and they may want to be able to do it themselves So I just try to address that and give them the confidence they might need to take on that project and give them specific hands-on experience Creighton s offerings range from classes on designing shelves and closets to date night woodworking classes There s the date night charcuterie board and cutting board class and it has a very specific tool skillset that you can learn from that he stated And then there is something different where you might learn how to build your own garden bed and then there s a planter box class There s also a do-your-own end table class Class offerings range widely from general tool knowledge classes to bookshelf making or date night charcuterie board classes Photo courtesy of West Philly Tool Library Creighton noted the organization helps to strengthen surrounding communities and offers a sense of mutual aid The classes that I teach are just trying to impart the knowledge to empower people to be able to take care of themselves and each other he mentioned Philadelphia has a pretty strong mutual aid heritage and efforts are being made here in Philadelphia And the tool library is used by a lot of these organizations as well There are people coming in grabbing all these tools and then going to turn a vacant lot into a garden or renovating their house Sanders explained it is more environmentally conscious to share tools as well There are also a lot of environmental benefits to borrowing tools rather than hundreds of people on every city block owning their own set of tools and just sitting in a basement somewhere he declared Fundraising efforts Annual memberships for the Philly Tool Library at present start at Sanders explained this price point is a part of the group s appeal When people sign up if you join for or you donate up to the maximum of you re getting value even if you just borrow something once he noted Because people can borrow a lawn mower return it and then they don t have to worry about storing it They don t have to worry about fixing it if it breaks He explained locality assistance is also what has helped the organization build its tool library over the years of our tools are genuinely donated from folks in the local society and majority of of the time from folks that used to do a lot of work and own their own tools he mentioned And then they needed to share it with the district Or we get donations from folks that just don t do any work anymore and want the tools to continue to be used The tool library has a large society focus Jason Sanders noted Photo courtesy of West Philly Tool Library Creighton explains the tool library has grown to include lots of fundamental tools often ones that people may not have or be able to hold space for in their homes People have access to all of these tools everything they can possibly need and there s just a sliding scale donation to be a member he declared So the tool library is very accessible to people And being able to afford all of these tools and having them in your home and taking up space that s not as accessible to everybody Largest part people don t have a garage full of a bunch of tools Tools are really expensive and it is such an easy thing to share As the group looks for a new home Sanders declared they will host a benefit on Oct to raise money From to p m there will be family-friendly events like pumpkin carving local food and drink vendors arts and crafts a silent auction and more Beyond the finances he announced there is a lot that goes into moving including moving supplies physical help and contributors to spread the word It s not just about donating money he declared We also need a lot of materials and we also need a lot of participants spreading the word about our charity event and this event and a lot of folks needed for our actual move So it s a fantastic thing for a society organization to have access and to share over tools but now we re going to be physically moving them and all the stuff that comes along with that So it s not just about donating money it s about donating time and other construction materials too Sanders commented the landlord who has housed West Philly Tool Library for the last years has been incredibly helpful and gracious The tool library has been receiving a great deal on their rent through the landlord and Sanders revealed he understands the landlord s need to raise rent The group is now searching for a new more affordable location We re still touring a lot of lease spaces and places for sale and trying to find something that works and something that can help us stay in the district that we ve been serving for the last years he declared Details on donating or supporting West Philly Tool Library and its upcoming charity fundraiser can be uncovered here The post Philly tool library is looking for a new home for its tools and roster of classes appeared first on Billy Penn at WHYY