LA GRANDE — Has winter taken a toll on some of your beloved or useful items? Pop in at the Repair Café on Tuesday, Feb. 18, from 4-6 p.m. at Cook Memorial Library, 2006 Fourth St.

A team of skilled repair experts will be on hand to breathe new life into your slightly worn-out possessions and help keep our planet less cluttered. Whether it’s clothing, small appliances or electronics, there’s someone to help restore items you thought you might have to discard.

The volunteers will also teach repair skills.

Repair Cafes are a global movement dedicated to preserving repair skills and promoting more repairable products. The first Repair Cafe was organized in Amsterdam in 2009 by Martine Postma. Its success led Postma to establish the Repair Cafe International Foundation, which offers professional support to local groups worldwide looking to start their own Repair Cafe.

Today, there are Repair Cafes not only in the Netherlands but also in Belgium, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and dozens of other countries, totaling over 2,500 and counting.

Repair Cafes have even emerged in India and Japan.

The goal of Repair Cafes is to reduce waste by teaching people that items can be fixed. Each Repair Cafe is staffed by volunteers with various repair skills. In La Grande, these include individuals who can fix wooden items such as chairs, tables and toys, as well as small electrical appliances such as toasters, fans, radios, lights and boom boxes.

They can also repair outdoor gear like zippers in sleeping bags and tents, perform simple bicycle repairs, and handle general mending like patching jeans. Additionally, they offer knife sharpening and care.

The volunteers teach attendees to do simple fixes themselves, building a community of people who can help repair things together, giving items new life and keeping them out of landfills.

Not only will you leave the Repair Cafe with a newly refurbished item, but you’ll also have met some interesting folks, learned a lot, enjoyed a cup of tea or coffee (and maybe a cookie), and shared information.

For more information, contact Donna Rainboth at drainbot@eou.org.