The Guelph Tool Library offers a diverse range of community-driven projects designed to foster learning, creativity, sustainability, and connection. From hands-on repair workshops and sewing programs to community gardens, seed sharing, and digital equity initiatives, each project encourages skill-building, resourcefulness, and environmental responsibility. Whether you’re interested in mending clothes, refurbishing electronics, growing your own food, or exploring circular economy practices, these programs provide opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to engage, contribute, and make a positive impact in the Guelph community.
Stitch Together is a twice-monthly, volunteer-run mending program at the Guelph Tool Library where community members of all ages can learn sewing skills, repair their clothing, and help reduce textile waste in a friendly, drop-in environment.
Freehub Community Bike Centre is a volunteer-run, donation-funded program of the Guelph Tool Library that offers an inclusive, do-it-yourself space where community members can repair bikes, learn maintenance skills, adopt affordable used bicycles, and promote sustainable, accessible transportation in Guelph.
Repair Café Guelph is a bi-monthly, volunteer-run event organized by the Guelph Tool Library where community members can bring broken items to be repaired with the help of skilled fixers, learn hands-on repair skills, and promote a culture of sustainability and waste reduction.
Stitch Mentors is a free, six-week intergenerational sewing program by the Guelph Tool Library that pairs community members with senior mentors to learn sewing and needlecraft skills, fostering connection, creativity, and skill-sharing across generations.
The Guelph Seed Library is a community-led seed-sharing program run through the Guelph Tool Library that encourages residents to borrow, grow, and return seeds—promoting local food resilience, seed-saving skills, and sustainable gardening across the community.
Living Better on Less (LBOL) is a free, multi-session educational program run in partnership with the Guelph Tool Library that teaches participants—especially seniors—how to live more sustainably and affordably through financial planning, healthy living, practical skills, and community connections.
GROW Community Garden is a volunteer-run, free-membership garden associated with the Guelph Tool Library where community members can grow organic produce, learn sustainable gardening skills, participate in educational workshops, and donate surplus food to support local food security.
Trove is a pilot project by the Guelph Tool Library that collects donated “bits and bobs” to create a constantly evolving, open-ended play resource for children and educators, encouraging creativity, invention, and reuse of materials that might otherwise be discarded.
Think Outside the Bin is a year-round recycling initiative at the Guelph Tool Library that partners with Terracycle Canada and other programs to provide the community with free opportunities to recycle items like oral care products, disposable razors, deodorant containers, cell phones, and eyeglasses, keeping them out of landfill.
Circular Computer Project is a Guelph Tool Library initiative that refurbishes donated laptops for redistribution to community members in need, promoting digital equity while reducing e-waste through recycling and reuse.
Circular Economy Month is an annual October celebration in Guelph led by the Guelph Tool Library and community partners, featuring workshops, events, and activities that promote reuse, repair, upcycling, and sustainable practices to reduce waste and encourage circular solutions.
Re:Purpose Fest is a community recycling festival hosted by the Guelph Tool Library during Circular Economy Month, where residents can drop off a wide range of reusable and recyclable items, participate in demonstrations, and support local programs that promote repair, reuse, and sustainability.
Free to Read is an annual book sale organized by the Guelph Tool Library that raises and donates books and funds to support literacy programs, including the Books for Inmates initiative, while promoting reading and community engagement.