On this week’s episode of Out and About, Mae Gilliland of ArtsPartners of Central Illinois talks with Jennifer Brady, co-founder of the Peoria Area Repair Café, about the group’s next free community repair event taking place Sept. 12 at River City Labs.

The Peoria Repair Café invites visitors to bring gently broken household or personal items and work alongside volunteer repair coaches to diagnose problems, learn new skills and, when possible, give those objects a second life. Volunteers bring expertise ranging from sewing and textiles to small appliances, lawn equipment, sharpening and other hands-on repairs.

Brady says the experience is about more than simply getting something fixed. “It is not just a drop-it-off. It’s a, let’s diagnose this together,” she said. “Let me show you how to take things apart, what’s inside and it’s a skill sharing.”

That exchange of knowledge also brings a creative element to the process, encouraging participants to look differently at familiar objects, understand how they were made and discover what might be possible with a little bit of ingenuity. At the same time, repairing rather than replacing can have a measurable environmental impact. Brady says the group kept approximately 20 pounds of material out of the landfill during its first event, compared with about 200 pounds at its most recent.

The events have also created connections among volunteers who might have otherwise never met, building a community around the satisfaction of making, mending and problem-solving together.

The Peoria Area Repair Café takes place Saturday, Sept. 12, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at River City Labs. The event is free, and no appointment is necessary.