This month, Repair Café marks its 6th anniversary at the New Paltz United Methodist Church. Inspired by an idea from Amsterdam Holland in 2013, a few folks decided to organize an alternative to the landfill: a way to extend the useful life of our stuff, to share skills, make friends and have fun all at the same time. The New Paltz Repair Café was the fourth in the U.S. Six years later, this “experiment in repair culture” is going strong, and more than 60 generous volunteers, with skills in a wide range of categories, have repaired more than 4,000 beloved but broken items, for free.

The New Paltz Repair Café takes place on Saturday May 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The location is the New Paltz United Methodist Church on the corner of Main & Grove.

Repair categories include: mechanical and electrical household appliances, electronic and digital gadgets, clothing and textiles, jewelry and things made of wood, dolls, stuffed animals and toys, metal items to be welded, faded and damaged photographs, and writing in need of a helpful editorial hand. Our supervised Kids Take-Apart & Create table provides a fun learning experience for kids.

All repairs are free, but everyone is encouraged to bring a food item for Family of New Paltz.

Repair Café in New Paltz is sponsored by the New Paltz United Methodist Church and the New Paltz Climate Action Coalition. The project is also coordinated with the Town of New Paltz Recycling Program and the Zero Waste Initiative of the Environmental Protection Agency.