Get a free 'fix' at Repair Cafe

Repairs of all kinds done for free

Don't toss it, fix it. That's the idea behind Repair Cafe, a movement that started in the Netherlands and has now made its way to Gresham.

Repair Cafe is a free event that connects people who like to fix things with people who need something fixed, whether it's a ripped seam or a broken lawnmower.

The concept behind Repair Cafe is when we fix things instead of throwing them away, we reduce the load on our landfills and lower carbon dioxide emissions by reducing the need for more manufacturing.

East County's first Repair Cafe will be from 6-9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14, at the Rosewood Initiative, 16126 S.E. Stark St.

According the the Repair Cafe Foundation's website at repaircafe.org, people throw away too much, "even things with almost nothing wrong and which could get a new lease on life after a simple repair.

The trouble is that people are out of the habit of fixing things.

We throw away vast amounts of stuff. Even things with almost nothing wrong and which could get a new lease on life after a simple repair, the site states. The trouble is, lots of people have forgotten that they can repair things themselves or they no longer know how. Knowing how to make repairs is a skill quickly lost.

But plenty of people still have those skills and they not only can help people make repairs, they also teach those skills to those they help.

Shaunna Sutcliffe, residential and schools program coordinator for the city's Recycling and Solid Waste program, said the city has partnered with the city of Portland and Repair PDX and the Rosewood Initiative to put on the Repair Cafe.

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Get a free 'fix' at Repair Cafe