Repair Café is returning to Rockland on Sunday, September 27, 2026 from 11:00am – 2:00pm ET. The event will be held at the Nyack Center (58 Depew Ave, Nyack, NY 10960). Repair Café is a free event where folks bring in items to be repaired by volunteer “fixers’ also known as Repair Coaches. We still need a few more volunteers to make this event amazing. If you’d like to volunteer contact Katy Galione (rocklandrepaircafe@co.rockland.ny.us or call 845-999-4070)
First Ask: Are you handy?
We need a few more fixers (aka “Repair Coaches”) for our Nyack event on 9/27! Know someone who might be interested? Send them our way. You don’t have to be a pro. Handy, clever “Weekend Warrior” types are ideal! More events coming up too: 11/8 in Pomona, and beyond.
For 9/27, we especially need:
- Electrical/mechanical fixers. Think lamps, small appliances, audio/visual equipment, etc.
- A jewelry fixer. Costume jewelry (beading fixes, stringing, clasps, etc.)
Second Ask: Not a fixer? We still need you!
We’re looking for volunteers to:
- Help bring items in and out (all portable items)
- Assist repair seekers
- Support Repair Coaches
- Check people in and out
This is a great opportunity for both adults and youth volunteers!
For more information on what a Repair Café is: https://www.repaircafehv.org/
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What is a Repair Cafe?
A Repair Cafe is a free community event where people bring in broken household items, like toasters, lamps, clothing, and bikes, and work alongside volunteer repair coaches to fix them. It’s part hands-on workshop, part social gathering, built on the idea that a lot of things get thrown away that could still work with a little patience and the right pair of hands. No charge, no appointment. Just show up with something broken.
Repair Coach Basics
Volunteer fixers, called Repair Coaches, take on items brought into the event for repair. No guarantees of repair, but no shortage of effort either. Some items are functional, some sentimental, or both! Bring a broken toaster back to life. Save someone’s grandmother’s lamp. Help a neighbor learn a skill that outlasts a landfill trip.
While this is a volunteer event, if repair is your livelihood, we are happy to promote your business at our Repair Café!
What we’re looking for
- A repair skill in any area: appliances, electronics, textiles, bikes, furniture, or general fixing.
- Patience, especially when a fix is slow or doesn’t work out.
- The willingness to try. That printer might be worth fixing, and if it’s not, offering a next step still helps.
- A teaching instinct: you like explaining the “why,” not just doing the fix.
- A “social battery.” Not every person seeking a repair wants to chat about it, but many do, so the ability to exchange light conversation is helpful.
- Comfort saying “let’s find out” when you don’t know the answer yet.
- Honesty about limits: telling someone plainly when something can’t be saved.
Why coaches keep coming back
- Use a skill you already have for something that visibly matters and makes an immediate difference.
- Meet great people: curious neighbors and a genuinely talented group of fellow coaches.
- Keep stuff out of landfills and support the right-to-repair movement.
- No fixed commitment. Even one session or a few hours a month helps.
- You’re never solo. Coaches work alongside each other, not alone.
- A well-run event. You show up, get oriented fast, and get straight to fixing things.