Collect what needs fixing around your house and set aside time on Saturday, March 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to visit the Senior Center for Suffield’s first free Repair Cafe.
According to the Christian Science Monitor, nearly 3,200 Repair Cafes now operate in over 40 countries. The first launched in the Netherlands in 2009.
It will have eight skilled volunteer repair people on hand to sharpen household tools and fix electrical appliances, bicycles, chairs and other wooden pieces, clothing and computers for free, according to Anna-Kristin Daub-Murphy, chair of Sustainable Suffield which will sponsor it.
“Of course, not everything can be fixed, and some items may require our visitors to purchase parts and return to a future Repair Cafe, but we’ll make every attempt,” she said. “It’s on a first-come, first-served basis. Visitors must be able to carry in their items and gas engines are not allowed. While the repairs are free, we appreciate donations to help defray our costs.”
Daub-Murphy said Sustainable Suffield has conducted extensive research on Repair Cafes, has vetted volunteer fixers and is following a model created by Repair Cafe International in the Netherlands.
She said Repair Cafes extend the lives of products that would otherwise be thrown out, adding to already choked landfills worldwide. They can also teach visitors how to make repairs themselves.
Daub-Murphy noted that since this is the first Repair Cafe offered in Suffield, some aspects might not run as smoothly as planned. “We ask that our visitors please wait patiently in the queue for their turns, stay with the fixers as their items are repaired and not expect the fixers to reassemble unfixable items. Repairs are free but the cost of parts is our visitors’ responsibility.”
She said visitors can bring more than one item for repair but will be asked to return to the back of the line for each category, such as electrical appliances, after each repair to give others an opportunity to have their items fixed. Visitors with unfixable items must also take them back. If your item requires gluing, Daub-Murphy asked that you come early so that the repair has enough time to dry before being removed at the end of the event.
Sustainable Suffield is always looking for additional volunteer fixers. If you’re interested, please fill out the online application at https://tinyurl.com/4nujv7va. Future Repair Cafes are tentatively planned for June 28 and September 27 at the Senior Center. For Repair Café updates, see the Sustainable Suffield Facebook page or suffieldct.gov/departments/sustainable-suffield.