Need to build a fence, but don’t want to put out the expense for a post pounder?
Or, maybe you have some fruit trees that need harvesting as a way to stop attracting bears, but you don’t have an orchard ladder or pole picker?
That’s where Roberts Creek-based, Sunshine Coast Tool Library can come to the rescue — especially this time of year, when pressing fruit for cider is high on the to-do list for many Coasters, who don’t have the room, or want to put out the expense, for a cider press.
The tool library falls under the umbrella of One Straw Society, which has a focus on food, sustainability, community, education and events, including Seedy Saturday, the Edible Garden Tour, Roberts Creek Farmers’ Market, Fruit Tree Project, the Fall Faire and many more community-led projects, all of which contribute to the culture of the Sunshine Coast.
The society’s executive director Casandra Fletcher, says the tool library was started with the support of Conner Wear, one of the founders of the long-established Vancouver Tool Library.
“So, he and I took all this time to sort of navigate the creation of what a tool library would look like on the Sunshine Coast, which was a priority because One Straw’s mandate was for it to be on a farm, and for food, which was the basis of that initial funding,” says Fletcher.
Fletcher says much of the funding for the initiative came from grants supplied by the Sunshine Coast Regional District, Vancouver Coastal Health, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and the United Way BC. That funding helped One Straw purchase much of the equipment for the library, including chicken pluckers and egg incubators, pressure canners, food dehydrators, water-transfer pumps, pole pruners, beekeeping equipment and more.
She adds besides being helpful to the community, the tool library helps One Straw with some of its programs, including community gardens, a community kitchen and food-waste projects.
“So, we basically just transferred all the gear that we owned into the tool library and now we have to sign it out ourselves to use it too,” says Fletcher. “And it works great.”
To date, the tool library has about 100 members, while One Straw has almost 800. A membership to One Straw is not needed in order to join the tool library, but the society does offer its own benefits, including events, workshops and education, gardening projects, a bulk-buying club, community connections and more. Most items are free to borrow with a request that people pay what they can or donate to the tool library.
The tool library is located within another One Straw initiative, One Tiny Farm, located in the heart of Roberts Creek, which was created on the premise of an old-time, village square. The farm is home to a busy preschool garden, day camps, and a community garden. It’s also the home base for a collaborative, multi-farm community-supported agriculture program, a subsidized food-box program, workshops, events and long-table dinners. The farm is also a hub for innovation and demonstrations –– including water collection, solar power, soil creation, worm farming and green walls.
Fletcher says the tool library has become a victim of its own success, so One Straw is looking to expand its storage capacity.
“The tool library is currently in this tiny, little red barn that we built on site a couple of years ago, but we have definitely outgrown it, like, we are floor-to-ceiling in there and we have a whole bunch of equipment that won't fit,” says Fletcher. “We simply don't have room. So, we're looking for a shipping container kind of vibe, but then that requires adaptation for electricity, for wifi. It doesn't need much, but it definitely needs lights and a couple of plugs to run the machines that we plug into it.”
For more information on One Straw and the Sunshine Coast Tool Library visit onestraw.ca/one-tiny-farm.
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