For months, members of Sustainable West Seattle have been planning, organizing, and researching how to create a library of tools for the community to borrow instead of purchasing them. With an award of $20,000 from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods' Neighborhood Matching Fund, their dreams will come to life with the opening of the West Seattle Tool Library on June 12 at South Seattle Community College. The Library will help foster a greater sense of community, while providing a shared source of tools, classes, and information and a green alternative to individual ownership.

"So far we've partnered with organizations such as the West Seattle Nursery and Community Harvest of South Seattle, and have gathered tools from generous donors throughout West Seattle. Our biggest tool drive was held on May 8th at the West Seattle Community Garage Sale, which put our number of tools up over 300!" said coordinator Patrick Dunn of Sustainable West Seattle. "We'd like to encourage everyone to come out and join in the effort to provide community resources for West Seattle."

Tools will also be collected at the Refresh Southwest festival on June 5th, the West Seattle Farmers' Market from 10am-2pm weekly, and on a continuing basis at their South Seattle Community College location. The Tool Library will be located at the South Seattle Community College Garden Center, which is on the North end of campus at 6000 16th Avenue SW.

Seattle Department of Neighborhoods' Neighborhood Matching Fund Program (NMF) was created in 1988. All projects are initiated, planned and implemented by community members in partnership with the City. Every award is matched by neighborhoods' or communities' resources of volunteer labor, donated materials, donated professional services or cash. Since the program was created 22 years ago, the Neighborhood Matching Fund has awarded over $45 million with a community match of more than $64 million. Projects have involved a total of nearly 78,600 volunteers who have donated over 400,000 work hours.