Repair cafes are growing in popularity, with a few located in Chester County, writes Eils Lotozo for Main Line Today.
The volunteer effort is a result of a growing international movement that is focused on helping people fix their old and broken possessions, to help eliminate consumer waste and shift society’s “throw-away” mentality.
The Berwyn Repair Cafe was started last year by Cara Rash, a member of the Easttown Township Environmental Advisory Council.
“I brought the idea to Trinity Presbyterian Church, which is an environmentally conscious church—and their pastor loved it,” said Rash.
Rash credits Bob Berkowitz, the founder of the Downingtown Repair Cafe, with helping her get the group off the ground.
Berkowitz was involved in two repair groups in New York before moving to Chester County. “The mountains of trash we’re creating—that just can’t go on,” Berkowitz said.
The Downingtown Repair Cafe currently has 30 volunteers and holds cafes every other month, where they typically see 50 people showing up with as many as 90 items. The cafe has a 70 percent success rate.
However, the cafes are not just free repair service. The volunteers work to teach people how items can be fixed, instead of discarded.
Read more about the repair cafes around Chester County at Main Line Today.
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