If you have something around the house that is broken and needs to be fixed, (and who doesn't?), Saturday, Feb. 19, could be just the opportunity you've been waiting for.
Volunteers with a nonprofit group called Repair Cafe of Knox County will be on hand from 1-4 p.m. in the basement of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 100 E. High St., Mark Tillack, organizer of the local effort, told the Mount Vernon News.
The group operates strictly on donations, so there is no charge for the repairs.
"We've had electric scooters, hover boards, a reel-to-reel tape recorder, we've had lots of VCRs and DVD players," Tillack said. "We've had some computers, two or three big-screen televisions. Microwave ovens. Fans. Cuckoo clocks. Floor lamps."
Repair Cafe was launched in the Netherlands and now has chapters all over the world, Tillack said.
It's a movement that helps the environment by keeping broken objects out of landfills and reducing the need to manufacture replacement items, he said.
Sometimes, the item in question is old and spare parts may be scarce.
"For the people who are doing the repairs, it's a challenge," he said.
It also helps strengthen community ties.
"It's neighbor helping neighbor," Tillack said.
No appointment is necessary.
"With COVID, I moved our table out to the sidewalk," Tillack said. "People walk up. We sign them in. We take their item and tell them to stop back before 4 p.m."
Most repairs can be done that same day unless a part is needed that has to be ordered or the item simply can't be fixed.
"We'll order the part, we'll be happy to pay for the part, and you can bring it back next time and we will install it for you," Tillack said. "We pretty much button everything up in the three hours or we tell people we can't fix it."
Repair Cafe holds the events are held four times a year on Saturdays in Mount Vernon.
For more information, go to repaircafe.org/en/cafe/knox-county-mount-vernon-repair-cafe-oh/.
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