The Tool Library encourages sustainability in sharing
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Back in 2011, a University at Buffalo student wanted to fix up where he was living, but had trouble finding the right resources. Then, the idea of a tool library came to mind.
More than 1,500 current members stop in and borrow 4,800 tools from the essential community resource. From lawnmowers to saws, and even backyard party supplies, The Tool Library says they have a little bit of everything and are hoping to inspire the community to be more sustainable.
“Everyone should really have access to the same things,” said founder Darren Cotton. “They should be able to work on projects that mean something to them and follow their passions, and so, The Tool Library is really a means to an end for that.”
Throughout the past 13 years, the library has helped community members save more than $2.5 million in renovations. They also offer service days and a Dare to Repair Café.
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Volunteers are encouraged to sign up for service days on Saturdays in May for mural prep and community garden work. If you’re looking for help from a volunteer, you can bring your broken items to the Dare to Repair Café where “fixers” will help you fix your item for free.
Now, they’re asking for the community’s help. The Tool Library wants to make its space on Main Street their permanent home.
“We’re ready to set down roots. It is the space for us, it has worked out so well, but there’s so much more we want to do with the building,” said Cotton. “We are working to raise a million dollars not only to purchase the building but also to renovate it into the space that we know it can be.”
The million-dollar campaign is an effort to help grow the mission of what The Tool Library is all about.
“It’s about sharing, it’s about community and it’s about what can we accomplish together,” Cotton said.
They hope to reach half their goal, $500,000 by July.
If you’re interested in donating, you can click/tap here, or you can click/tap here for more information, and to sign up as a member.
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Hope Winter is a reporter and multimedia journalist who has been part of the News 4 team since 2021. See more of her work here.
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