Local volunteers came together to host the second Iowa City Repair Cafe on Sunday. The event invited volunteers to help fix a range of appliances — from small electronics to lawn and snow blowers — at no cost.
Event organizer Jennifer New and other volunteers, including Thorin Pugh, Brinda Shetty, Michal Eynon-Lynch, Travis Krause, and Michael Webb, made the Repair Cafe a possibility for Johnson County locals, with first event held in May 2023.
The group met through the organization known as the Transition Group Network. Transition began in 2005 as a network working to create local community groups acting to reduce carbon output, enhance social justice, and enhance communities.
Beyond fixing items, The Repair Cafe also held four events aimed at helping the community with skills associated with keeping items longer and relieving waste going to the landfill. These events included preparing tools for winter, canning basics, cleaning cast iron, and the basics of button sewing.
New said what excited her most for the event was the opportunity to meet people within the community and help reduce waste going to the landfill.
“Meeting people is the best part, and then just knowing that this could grow and really make a difference in terms of how much we keep out of the landfill,” New said.
University of Iowa Engineering Specialist in Physics and Astronomy Michael Webb attended the event and brought a scale to measure the weight of items the volunteers fix.
“I really enjoyed the community of everyone coming in to talk with them, fix their stuff, and it's really good keeping this stuff out of the landfill,” Webb said.
A wide range of volunteers dedicated their time at a variety of stations to promote the message of sustainability.
Volunteers Demetrius Perry and Chris Dahl worked a station to help fix and clean shoes. Both Perry and Dahl work at Vice Iowa City, a trade store for sneakers, clothing, and accessories located at 312 E. Prentiss St.
“We like the idea of just being able to save something that would normally get thrown away or stop somebody from having to go buy a new pair of shoes,” Dahl said. “We can just fix them up and give them another life.”
Perry said that the event helps people avoid throwing away shoes and items that could otherwise be saved and in turn reduce unnecessary waste.
“I am most excited about learning more about what the community needs and helping teach people about breathing life back into their shoes, and helping people understand that you don't necessarily need to go out and get a new pair,” Perry said.
Working at the sewing repair station, Janet Wahl explained she sewed all her clothes from a young age because of her family's poverty, and that she hopes to use that skill for the community.
Wahl said her skills developed over time until she was able to craft professional items like suit jackets, and she was most excited for all the clothes that will be saved from the landfill thanks to this event.
Travis Krause, part of the group who led the events organization efforts, explained the Repair Cafe is just a first step in generating the type of change needed for more sustainable living.
“Our group is interested in seeing significant change happen in Iowa City and beyond. But we know that takes one step at a time,” Krause said. “The first thing that we've done is Repair Cafe, so we have a bigger idea that will be multifaceted, and this is going to be the first project of many for the transition group.”
New says the group is planning the next Repair Cafe in January 2024.