Repair Cafés are events where residents can bring broken items to be fixed for free by volunteers who are handy and who like tinkering/fixing things, or for volunteers who simply want to help out in the community.
Repair Café One-Year Anniversary Event
Date: Saturday, January 25
Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Location: Dogwood Pavilion, 1655 Winslow Avenue, Mike Butler Room
Please join us and bring household items that need to be repaired.
We will also be recognizing our incredible Repair Café volunteers, who have fixed almost 200 items over the past year.
How does the Repair Café event work?
Residents can bring their item to be repaired, and the volunteers who are available will take a look and advise on if the repair is doable.
The resident and Repair Café volunteer will complete a complete a Repair Café Registration Form. Residents are encouraged to remain in the area while the repair is taking place.
Repair Café Volunteers
We need your help! Join our current group of passionate, skilled and fun volunteers. We are seeking people who can repair:
- Bikes
- Electronics and electrical items
- Furniture
- Small appliances
- Textiles and clothing
Volunteer Perks
- Contributing to the circular economy
- Helping others
- Connecting with like-minded people
- Community hours
If you are interested in helping us, please click through to our Volunteer webpage and sign up.
Repair Cafe's support Coquitlam’s Environmental Sustainability Plan goals of minimizing waste generation and maximizing reuse, recycling and material recovery.
Seeking a Host Organization
We are seeking a local organization interested in running our Repair Café events in the future. We will support the organization by providing event space, funding for tools, supplies, food, volunteer appreciation, advertisement and assistance with volunteer recruitment.
A supporting organization would plan and run the events, coordinate the volunteers, obtain supplies and report back repair statistics from each event. Repair Cafés help build community by encouraging shared knowledge and team work, and reduce waste at the same time, a win-win!
Our inaugural Repair Café event in October 2023 had over 100 participants and 12 volunteers. Please contact us at: email Environmental Education.
Repair Café International Foundation
The Repair Café concept arose in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in 2009, and was formulated by Martine Postma, at the time a journalist/publicist. In 2010, she started the Repair Café International Foundation. This foundation provides professional support to local groups around the world wishing to start their own Repair Café. The foundation also supports the Repair Café in Coquitlam.