Salem residents can again have their broken or damaged items repaired for free when the city holds its latest repair café on March 28. The event, set for 9 a.m. to noon at 211 Bridge St., is the ninth in a continuing series of sessions that began in 2017.
Organized by SalemRecycles, the city’s recycling committee, and the nonprofit community group The Bridge at 211, the repair café is intended to teach participants repair skills and to encourage them to extend the lives of their possessions as an alternative to tossing them in the trash.
During the three-hour event, repair volunteers will be available to mend clothing, sew on buttons, sharpen scissors and knives, tinker with or rewire electronics and lamps, and glue wooden furniture and ceramics.
In a new feature, computer diagnostics volunteers also will be on hand to help attendees evaluate their desktop or laptops and offer suggestions on how to improve the performance of their systems.
“We’re very excited to see these events grow as more residents bring their unique items and more tinkers want to volunteer their time to repair these items,” Micaela Guglielmi, the city’s waste reduction coordinator, said by e-mail. “It’s very rewarding to see all of the happy residents leaving the event with their repaired treasures and knowing that we have so many dedicated volunteers to make this happen.”
The event is for Salem residents, only, who will be limited to two items each. Assistance is provided on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, go to greensalem.com or www.facebook.com/events/2811742468917632/.
John Laidler can be reached at [email protected].