The Tool Library first started out as a resource to flood affected members of Cedar Rapids and is now a resource to the entire Cedar Rapids community. The history of the Tool Library starts after the flooding of 2008; local homeowners had many issues to deal with in restarting their lives, and establishing a sense of home in the Cedar Rapids community. The Matthew 25 Ministry Hub has responded in many ways to assist local community members, and one of their projects was to establish a free tool rental program to help homeowners save on the cost of tool rental in the rebuilding process.
Relocated in the fall of 2008, and with a massive increase in tool inventory, the Matthew 25 Tool Library moved to the Community Resource Center at 220 6th St. NW. The CRC warehouse housed several departments that offered resources for community members to utilize during their rebuilding process.
Matthew 25 has now completed the build out of their new space located at 225 K Ave. NW. This has allowed for the Tool Library not only to expand the tool inventory, but also allow for a woodworking workshop space. The workshop allows for Tool Library members to work on larger projects that they do not have the space for at their homes, and will offer home improvement classes to members and the community.
