At Repair Café, volunteers breathe new life into broken objects

There was something in it for both groups: the people whose appliances and treasured objects needed fixing and the volunteers who love working with their hands and helping others.

Both parties got together Saturday at Long Island’s sole Repair Café, a free event that is part of a global effort to salvage what might otherwise end up in already overflowing landfills.

Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Wyandanch hosted a half-dozen volunteer Mr. and Ms. Fix Its and their clients bearing, among other items, jewelry, compact disc players, a coffee pot, an iron, a bicycle, a laptop, headphones, an office chair, and an electric stapler.

The event was organized for the second year in a row by Laurie Farber, 64, of Wyandanch. Repair Cafés are held around the world, from New Zealand to Germany to Britain, which leads the way with 1,411, according to the group’s website.

New York has 20 of them, according to the website, which says the aim is to “kindle people’s enthusiasm for a sustainable society,” while demonstrating repairs can be fun.

Outside the church, cars with broken taillights also could be fixed, courtesy of the Suffolk chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.

“We believe it’s not worth a big ticket, or possible deportation,” said James Laudano, 30, of Islip.

Inside, gesturing to her daughter’s bright orange bicycle, Angela Sellers of Wyandanch, said: “It was just a flat tire. My husband was trying to fix my daughter’s bike ... and that made it worse.”

The chain somehow fell off the spokes while her husband worked on it. But her luck was in. “I work on packaging machinery, I work on everything and fixing things is my thing — and I worked in a bike shop for 15 years," said Dave Spieler, 42, of Greenlawn.

He was just finishing up with a family whose laptop needed a battery, directing them to a store he knew that replaces them.

“Sorry, I wish I could do more, but at least it works,” he said.

Phyllis DiPilla of Deer Park brought in three beaded bracelets that, to her, are priceless.

“I’m really happy,” she said, displaying one of the newly repaired ones. “I only paid a dollar for it but I was going through a tough time,” she said.

Jewelry shops had turned her away. “Now I can wear it again," she said.

Danielle Tucker, 38, of Brentwood, who hopes to keep learning her craft, did the honors. “I like to help out when I can. It makes me feel good,” she said.

Alicia Portwine, 49, of Wyandanch, arrived with her daughter’s broken necklace, bracelet and headphones. “My daughter will be so happy. She got her jewelry fixed,” Portwine said.

But the headphones, which keep falling off, might have to be replaced.

“I’m a failure,” lamented John Herson, 86, of Smithtown, though he suggested Portwine first try gluing the broken bit of plastic.

“I like to fix everything but electronics, I can’t do electronics,” he said, before tackling an office chair.  

Missing clips were causing one wheel to fall off, and "it doesn’t pivot,” he diagnosed.

Rewiring a broken iron, former industrial mechanic Ricardo Rivera, 65, of West Babylon, said: “I love everything with screwdrivers and tools."

Problem-solving and countering the “throwaway” culture motivated Eileen Breslin of New Hyde Park, who arrived with an electric stapler from heroffice.

Though she usually can fix them, this one stumped her. “I’m kind of curious to see if it can be fixed,” she said. “It’s also a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon.”

As Rivera, Herson and Breslin huddled over the stapler, Farber, the event's organizer, said: “They like puzzles and they like working together. It sort of builds a sense of community.”