PDX Toy Library offers your family the benefits of sharing

Alicia Polacok, from Resourceful PDX partner Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, kicked off the New Year with a visit to the PDX Toy Library where she talked with founder Cat Davila about this labor of love.

PDX Toy Library is an all-volunteer community-based nonprofit organization that recognizes play as an integral part of a child’s development. High quality toys and equipment are available for borrowing to assist with the physical and educational development of children ages birth to 8.

Cat sees the library as a way to build community too, by hosting and participating in many family events that bring people together to learn, collaborate and socialize. Borrowing from the Toy Library is a great opportunity for children to explore ideas about ownership, responsibility to others, and the benefits of sharing.

She was aware of the tool and kitchen libraries in Portland, and this idea really synthesized a lot of her passions and just felt like is was exactly the thing to do, even without experience in the nonprofit or library sectors.

“The idea struck me one afternoon as I was playing games with my 2 year old daughter, and wishing I could trade all of ours for some new ones somewhere. It suddenly seemed impossible that there wasn’t already something like this in Portland.

I spent a lot of time learning about Toy Libraries in other parts of the world and crafting our model of service, and learning how to form a nonprofit, and searching for a space for the library. And now it is real! I’m very pleased with what we’re able to offer now, and excited to see what the future brings.”

— founder Cat Davila

How does it work?

Membership is open to the public and active members use the toys and space. While most members are currently families, Cat's own work background is in Early Childhood Education, so she would like to see more teachers and caregivers utilize the library. Volunteers are integral in the library, which is currently open three times a week for a few hours. Cat has hosted events in the space and plans to shift the focus for more game and play time when the library is open.

The collection continually grows with donations accepted and cataloged frequently. Members check out different toys and games each week, up to three different toys or games each time you visit.

Currently the fee structure offers three month memberships for $30 or six months for $50. Gift certificates are available if you’re looking for an alternative idea for a birthday or holiday celebration.

Why join a toy library?

It saves money: Toys cost a lot so joining the Toy Library is likely to be less per year than you may spend on new items.

It saves space: Toys take up a lot of space and storage so the Toy Library allows you and your kids to use things when you really want them and provides a way to get them out of your house the rest of the time.

It allows for toy test drives: Toys engage kids at different times and at different levels. Checking things out from the Toy Library gives you a good idea of what engages children the most. And since kids grow fast, it means having developmentally appropriate toys available to test.

Bonus: Keep things fresh (and give your kids something “new”) by checking out different items every couple of weeks! Browse the toy catalog online to see if borrowing toys may work for you and your family.

Where is it?

PDX Toy Library is located in the Sunnyside Community House (formerly Sunnyside Methodist Church) at 3520 SE Yamhill St.

All Portland residents are welcome to join!

Green Lents builds community through borrowing and sharing

Are you a resident of one of these Portland neighborhoods: Lents, Powellhurst-Gilbert, Pleasant Valley, Foster-Powell, Mt. Scott-Arleta, Brentwood-Darlington or Montavilla? Do you know of the many reasons to visit Green Lents, the organization that supports community-led projects like the free Community Tool Library?

Green Lents Community Tool Library contributes to community livability in this diverse area of the city by providing free tools and resources to residents in and around the Lents neighborhood in outer Southeast and East Portland.

The Community Tool Library functions like a book library, except that you check out tools or other project materials instead of books. They also have a seed library, where you can borrow seeds, grow food and then return seeds back to the library for others to use. Since its founding in 2012, there are over 500 members who check out tools for a one-week rental for free, with the option of renewal. It is open two days a week and is volunteer run.

One volunteer, Renee Orlick, started as a user of the Community Tool Library. When she moved to Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood in 2013, she was able to borrow a tall ladder from the library to harvest the fruit trees she had throughout her yard. Around this time, Renee started volunteering and has since joined the organization’s board. Her main goal is to make the library as functional as possible including checking tool donations into the system so members can use them.

The community based nonprofit, Green Lents, offers even more for residents. There are two fellows, April Jamison and Izzy Armenta, who work with the organization as volunteer engagement coordinators for all four of their projects. April works on Community Tool Library, Malden Court Community Orchard and Pollinator Habitat, while Izzy works on Livable Lents.

Since education, skill building and sharing all promote a thriving, sustainable community, April and Izzy want to combine these into actions to share with neighbors, build community and grow knowledge.

They have ideas, like offering a summer DIY workshop series with the tool library, and are already conducting a survey with Livable Lents so they can hear from residents about their visions and needs for the community.

"What I like best about this organization is that it's a community asset that has been built by the community, for all of our neighbors. The dedication to sharing and growing strong together is really inspiring," said April.  

The organization looks for volunteers and those in the community who are interested in participating from the ground up, with ideas to grow within the established network. One such idea is about volunteers themselves. “Green Lents, like so many nonprofit organizations, rely on volunteers so we have defined a commitment where members can volunteer for two-to-four hours a month for six months. It’s working and we would like to see the involvement continue,” said April.

Visit the free Community Tool Library to borrow what you need and get involved with Green Lents to share ways to make a difference in your neighborhood.

Portland residents can access tool libraries around the city, based on where you live. Check out the North, Northeast or Southeast resources to learn more.

Pay it forward in Portland with Rooster

Rooster is a community of neighbors who share free resources together. It’s about borrowing things you need – and about making connections in your own community.

How it works

Become a member of the online community, then:

• Ask for whatever you need: Give, get, lend, borrow, share, help or get together with like-minded locals.
• Help whenever you can: See what neighbors need or have to offer, and help them make it happen.

One rule: Everything’s free, in the spirit of generosity and paying it forward.

How it started (with a Thanksgiving potluck)

When husband and wife Gil and Tali moved into their home in Palo Alto, California, they had few relationships with people in their area, and almost none that could be considered substantial friendships. Simple tasks like borrowing a drill to hang their shelf unit or finding a person who could help them set up their bike rack became frustrating, and they ended up buying tools they weren’t going to use in the long term and paying for professional services that could have easily been achieved with the help of a friendly neighbor.

Rather than spending Thanksgiving alone, they decided to reach out and find other individuals to share a holiday meal together. Over the weekend, Gil coded a mailing list and named it Rooster, with the thought of a rooster in your backyard, calling out to your neighbors. They invited several friends to join and also invite their own friends. The first thing they posted was an invitation to a Thanksgiving potluck, where eight Rooster members they hadn’t met before showed up and had a wonderful time celebrating the holiday and getting acquainted.

Soon enough the mailing list took a life of its own, as Rooster members began borrowing bikes, baseball bats and baby cribs, handing down used baby clothes and furniture and meeting one another to go jogging, fix a bike chain or have a language exchange. There are now 10,000 families who are part of the Rooster movement.

“Kindness amongst strangers is contagious,” says Tali. “By helping a neighbor on Rooster, you’re not only helping a single person, but inspiring a chain reaction of participation, giving and kindness throughout Rooster. You might also discover you’ve made some new friends along the way, as we’ve seen happen so many times before, by simply being there to lend a hand, rely on one another and smile while we do so.”

Rooster is now in Portland

Community-positive organizations all over Portland have joined in kicking off Portland’s pay it forward community on Rooster and are calling all sharing-minded individuals to join in. Learn more about the local organizations and how you can get involved in giving, sharing, helping and reusing as a way of life. Join Portland Rooster.

Portland Community ToolBank lends tools to charitable organizations

Resourceful PDX partner Alicia Polacok from Bureau of Planning and Sustainability recently visited the Portland Community ToolBank to learn more about this new community resource in Portland.

Are you part of a community organization, nonprofit group or neighborhood association? Do you need tools for projects or events? The Portland Community ToolBank is here for you!

According to Executive Director Zoya Kumar, the Portland ToolBank serves charitable organizations with high quality and a large of volume of tools to build, preserve, beautify, clean and restore the community. They currently have 92 different types of tools and maintain over 6,000 total tools in their 10,000 square foot facility in NE Portland.

The Portland Community ToolBank is a not-for-profit tool lending program that serves nonprofits by placing all kinds of tools (ladders, drills, saws, hoes, shovels and more) in the hands of the volunteers who are painting schools, building ramps for injured veterans, repairing seniors’ roofs, landscaping public spaces, and more. They are guaranteeing that every volunteer is equipped with the tools they need to get the job done.

The Portland ToolBank officially opened in late April 2015 and has been partnering with groups in the greater Portland/Vancouver area to get projects done. It acts as an affiliate and is part of the national network based in Atlanta.

While organizations need to register to become a member agency at no charge, there are small fees associated with borrowing tools for any size of community projects – small, medium or large. There is even a tool borrowing credit for those organizations interested in becoming a member this summer.

Here are some of the types of organizations that can benefit from the Portland Community ToolBank:

• Tax exempt organizations

• Schools and PTAs/PTOs

• Neighborhood associations

• Faith-based groups

• Civic organizations

• Government agencies

• Veterans groups

Are you a Portland resident interested in borrowing tools for your own projects? Find out more about the four local tool libraries, available to residents in East, North, Northeast and Southeast Portland.

Contact Zoya Kumar at Zoya.Kumar@toolbank.org if you are interested in additional information, tours, or volunteer information.