Repair Café returns to help keep household items out of the landfill

Nancy Birss of New Dundee brought her fan to the Nith Valley Ecoboosters Repair Café, where volunteer fixers helped repair the household appliance and give it a second life. The community event encourages residents to repair rather than replace broken items, helping reduce waste while bringing people together to share skills and knowledge. Contributed photo

By Amanda Nelson

The Nith Valley Ecoboosters (NVEB) will once again host a Repair Café on Nov. 28 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Zion United Church fellowship hall, located at 215 Peel St. in New Hamburg.

Repair Cafés are community events where anyone can bring broken or damaged items to be repaired by volunteer fixers.

“It’s just as much a community event as it is a repair café,” said Ron Helps, an NVEB member and fixer. “People come to have things repaired and avoid having to dispose of them, but at the same time, they meet likeminded people. Sometimes people want to know where they can find people, and this community event is a great space of great people.”

With repair cafés now taking place every other month, the local group has become a model for other regions looking to establish similar initiatives. The NVEB Repair Café was among the first to expand across Ontario and has since become a recognized example of how to run the program successfully, attracting visitors from other regions interested in learning more about its operations.

“It’s starting to reach beyond Wilmot,” said Helps. “We’ve had others come to see how our events are run, and it’s great to be an example for others. We’ve also offered to come out to their events to help as well. It has really become quite a great example of community.”

The NVEB Repair Café will have fixers available for small household mechanical and woodworking repairs, clothing mending, knitting and crochet items, jewellery, book repairs, and even wobbly chairs.

Fixers can also troubleshoot electronics, including small appliances and audio and video equipment. Helps said sometimes the solution is as simple as finding a hidden on-off switch.

“Sometimes it can be frustrating; an item seems like it could be fixed, but you just don’t know where to start,” said Helps. “That’s where we can help. You bring in your broken items and we have fixers who can work to troubleshoot the problem with you.”

The Repair Café will provide most materials, tools and safety equipment. However, attendees with items requiring specialized materials or tools are encouraged to bring those along as well.

The free, in-person community event aims to reduce waste, share valuable skills and foster community connections. Refreshments and resources on repairs and sustainability will also be available.

For more information or to find out whether a specific item can be repaired or donated, contact the Eco Boosters at nvebrepaircafe@gmail.com.