Natalie's Everyday Heroes: Volunteers giving old tools new life

NEW BERLIN, Wis. (CBS 58) -- If you’ve ever been faced with cleaning out a garage filled with dusty and rusty tools, you’d be forgiven for thinking they’re junk.

But as they say, one man’s trash is another’s treasure, and this week's everyday heroes want to take those tools and turn them into something fresh and new.

"Let's get all the dirt off," said Gene Kaczkowski, sitting in front of a whirring wire wheel. "You learn to hang on!"

With a little elbow grease, Kaczkowski can take a screwdriver covered in rust and bring it back to life.

"It looks good," he said. "We want people to be proud of the tools they have."

Cleaning, fixing and restoring.

"Might have to soak this one," said volunteer Jeff Scheele, working on a string trimmer.

St. Joseph's Tool Chest in New Berlin is filled with tools that need a little TLC.

"We take used tools and refurb them to a nearly new condition, and send them to missions all over the world," said Bill Jonas.

Jonas and Kaczkowski are some of the longest standing members.

"Right now, I think I'm the oldest guy. By five days," Kaczkowski said with a laugh. "Yeah, we have three guys who are 88."

Scheele is one of the younger guys.

"It's awesome," he said. "I'm transitioning to retirement. So, this is like something to transition to."

All the members come with special skills to add to the mix.

"I'm a retired engineer. Gene's a retired electrical engineer," Jonas said.

Or they have a willingness to figure it out.

"Somebody knows to fix it, or we'll learn," Scheele said.

All the tools in the St. Joseph's warehouse are donated.

"We get tools that have been sitting in basements for 40 years," Kaczkowski said.

And once they're restored, they're sorted into different toolboxes.

"We got electrical toolbox, mechanical toolbox, carpentry toolbox, and plumbing toolbox, so we got all kinds of different stuff," Jonas explained.

Some may go to first-time homeowners or to help with projects all over the world.

It sparks pride for these guys.

"Just to see it go out as a useful tool," Jonas said.

Tools that are essential to get a job done properly.

"I guess it comes naturally. And it's a lot of fun," Scheele said, adding that he grew up going to the hardware store with his dad, and this reminds him of that.

It keeps them sharp, too.

"It's something I look forward to. Work with great guys," Kaczkowski said.

Just like the tools that are getting new purpose.

"The camaraderie. And then being able to do something, you know, and know that this is getting used somewhere," Scheele said.

And another good thing: all this stuff isn't getting thrown away. Most of their donations are shipped all over the world by the Salvatorian Mission, based in New Holstein, Wisconsin.

St. Joseph's Tool Chest is a non-profit. They're always accepting donations. So, if anyone is interested in finding out more, visit St. Joseph's Tool Chest.

If you'd like to nominate an Everyday Hero, send Natalie a message at [email protected].