A Repair Café in Diamond Valley is looking for more skilled hands to help extend the life of everyday items.
The Sustainable Black Diamond Advisory Committee is holding a Repair Café at the Griffiths Centre, 102 Government Rd., on Saturday, Feb. 4 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Currently, there is a need for volunteers to help with sewing machine maintenance, small-job fabric mending, or fixing chair legs and reclining chairs.
Committee member Dusty Williams said most issues with sewing machines are from a lack of maintenance, causing them to jam.
“Nine times out of 10 it’s just oil and adjustment,” Williams said.
Other things like everyday appliances or electronics can be brought in, such as toasters, coffee pots, radios or clocks. Some things brought in have sentimental value to their owners, he said.
One of the more unique items that came in was a battery-powered dinosaur toy that walks.
“It was like two feet tall,” Williams said. “They actually got it working.”
To have volunteers look at an item, people can register in advance or drop-in on the day of the cafe.
Williams said about 25 or 30 people attended the last Repair Café at the Griffiths Centre in December.
"Which is big for a small community like this,” he said.
Students from Oilfields School have been helping during the cafés, greeting people and communicating with them once their items are ready.
Williams said that as the Repair Café grows, students can take on more responsibility towards organizing them.
Looking after the registration process and recording how many people attend, what kinds of items are brought in, and how many are successfully repaired are some of the jobs students could take care of in the future, he said.
For more information about the Repair Café, email [email protected].
Appointments can be booked online by visiting app.10to8.com/book/kbqrkmnuokyewrytdf and navigating to Feb. 4.
In Okotoks, a Repair Café will be held on Jan. 21, from 12 to 4 p.m., at the Okotoks Recreation Centre.
Accepted items include electronics, small appliances, small pieces of furniture, toys, and clothing or housewares for mending.
Donations of non-perishable food items will be accepted for the food bank.
