This is one of two boxes full of tools larger than seven inches that was donated to a local non-profit by TSA. (TSA photo)
ALBANY, N.Y. – The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) team at Albany International Airport recently donated two boxes of tools to “The Tool Box,” a donation-based tool resale shop that helps seniors stay in their own home longer through an innovative home maintenance program called Umbrella of Colonie. The shop is owned and managed by the non-profit Colonie Senior Service Centers, Inc.
Not all air travelers are aware of the fact that the TSA restricts the transport of tools larger than seven inches to being packed checked baggage. As a result, many travelers who have large tools in their carry-on bags surrender those tools to TSA when they don’t have enough time to return the tools to their cars or checked bag to place them in prior to their scheduled flight.
Items such as hammers, wrenches, screwdrivers, plyers, saws, drill bits, and wire cutters are just some of the dozens of large tools that TSA officers have detected in carry-on bags at the airport security checkpoint recently.
Colonie Senior Service Centers, Inc., (CSSC) staff and volunteers will clean each item and sell them at the resale shop that helps seniors in need through the Umbrella of Colonie home maintenance program. The program connects senior homeowners with handy people who can help maintain homes at an affordable cost, allowing seniors the chance to feel safe and secure. CSSC strives to ensure the all-around health of seniors, enhancing the quality of life for the community as a whole, according to Diane Conroy-LaCivita, Executive Director of Colonie Senior Service Centers, an independent, 41-year-old nonprofit. Tool Box is volunteer run and is a gathering place for handy people and other tool lovers in the community, she added.
“Being the largest provider of senior programs and services in the Capital District, CSSC is thrilled to partner with TSA to support Tool Box with donations of used tool thus supporting Umbrella of Colonie,” Conroy-LaCivita said.
“We know that these tools will be enjoyed by tool lovers and that the proceeds will help our local community members,” Johnson added.
“We encourage our travelers to avoid having to surrender prohibited items at the checkpoint by always inspecting their carry-on luggage before they leave for the airport,” said Philip Calderone, CEO of the Albany County Airport Authority. “We also offer one final option that allows travelers to purchase a U.S. Postal Service mailer at our Information Desk and mail their prohibited items back to their home.”