DETROIT — Detroit ToolBank opened its doors on Tuesday evening, offering the opportunity for nonprofits, churches, student organizations and other volunteer groups to rent shovels, rakes, and other equipment for community development projects in the state.

Dearborn's Ford Motor Co. through Ford Philanthropy and Carhartt Inc. are behind bringing the 7,000-square-foot bank to Detroit, ToolBank's 11th location after starting in Atlanta as a concept in 1991. It's a joint initiative to support the community, promote skilled trades and other "essential economy" jobs and meet demand that Carhartt CEO Linda Hubbard said existing efforts like the workwear brand's own Carhartt Workshop above its flagship Detroit store off Cass Avenue doesn't have the capacity for.

"Maybe somebody that's interested in exploring a career in the skilled trades," Hubbard said, "will have fun using one of these tools on a project, and say, 'Maybe this is the career that I hadn't considered before.' And it creates another person in the pipeline of something that we really desperately need in the country."

The companies didn't disclose how much they are paying to bring ToolBank to Detroit's Milwaukee Junction neighborhood at 575 E. Milwaukee St., but they have shared $25,000 in initial seed funding to cover the 4% lending fees for the first set of community projects. Dave Bartek, Detroit ToolBank executive director, said the bank also will be looking for additional grants and perhaps city neighborhood funds to help local groups get access to the tools, too.

Nonprofits, schools and universities, faith-based organizations and community groups can sign up at no cost to become a member agency. Residents aren't eligible to be members, though tools can be used to support projects helping individual homeowners through a neighborhood group. The site also will offer instruction and educational resources.

The bank has hundreds of tools donated by Home Depot with a weekly rental rate from a 2-cent paint can key to a $35.59 premium 3,300-watt inverter, 120-vault generator. Within the city, groups also can pay for delivery, but even groups as far as Flint and Lansing can pick up tools, if needed.

There are smaller efforts like the E. Warren Tool Library in Detroit, but ToolBank was built for scale, Bartek said. He already has begun getting calls about how to get access to the bank's resources.

"All of the tool banks that have been in existence have had significant impact in the community," Bartek said, "to the point where the communities almost can't live without them now, because they're so used to being, 'Oh, hey, I need tools.'"

Carhartt has made workwear for Ford autoworkers for more than 100 years. A symposium last year on the essential economy spurred a multi-year collaboration announced at the Detroit Auto Show between the companies that incudes community work as well as co-branded merchandise and a Super Duty truck.

"We started to work with Carhartt on a different auto tech program," said Mary Culler, president of Ford Philanthropy, "and we started talking about this, and we realized we were like-minded folks, and so there couldn't be a better partner."

The ToolBank's inventory is being put to work as early as Wednesday in honor of National Volunteer Week through a joint project by Ford Philanthropy and Carhartt to build picnic tables and Adirondack chairs on Belle Isle.

The bank opens the door for potentially larger volunteer projects that couldn't be supported before its opening, said Stephanie Osterland, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Detroit, which works on building and rehabbing homes. An effort with a couple hundred volunteers might have to go to a lot of Home Depot stores to have enough supplies, not be able to finish a project or need to do it in a different way than originally planned because of resource limitations, she said.

"That can be our main focus," Osterland said of the group's community development work, "instead of all of our money going to tools or having to store a bunch of tools."

In that way, ToolBank is an avenue for community revitalization, said Trey Bearden, CEO of ToolBank USA: "Those tools by themselves can't do anything," he said, "but when you put the tool in the hand of a volunteer, transformation happens."

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