MATCH Repair Day

MATCH (Mutual Aid Triangle Community Hub) is hosting a repair day on Sunday at The ArtsCenter. You can bring broken jewelry, toys, electronics, clothing, furniture, appliances, etc. to be repaired. We asked Amanda Klepper, who organized the event, to tell us more about it.

AK: We are a group of volunteers with the goal of creating a dedicated space for mutual aid events and projects to serve Carrboro and Chapel Hill, like The Burrow in Durham and RUMAH in Raleigh. Repair Day is just one of the many things we have going on. We're also co-hosting the Festival of Abundance on May 23-24 with Triangle Mutual Aid (at Carrboro Town Commons), and our repair crew will be there doing free repairs on Sunday afternoon, 5/24. Our calendar of events is available on our website, https://match-chc.neocities.org/.

Some may remember the Community Assembly that we hosted at The ArtsCenter back in November when ICE was doing raids in the Triangle, and we had local organizations speak about what they are doing to protect community members and how others could get involved. Our eventual goal is to have a space of our own (like a storefront, though we won't be a store) that we can use full-time for events, storing materials, and community hang-out space.

We live in an era of "disposable" goods. How does MATCH see itself as a counter-movement to the environmental impact of modern manufacturing and waste?

AK: MATCH Repair Day is about being a resource for the community. Providing free repairs serves multiple functions. It has the obvious environmental benefits of keeping things out of the landfill, extending the life of products, and reducing the need to keep buying (and making) more. It allows people to save money, something that's increasingly important as the cost of living rises, and keeps that money from leaving the community and supporting the profits of companies that exploit us and the planet. It builds community by bringing people together into a shared space, helping each other and sharing skills in a non-transactional way.

Why is The ArtsCenter the right venue for this? Does the "artistic" nature of the space change how people approach the "craft" of repair?

AK: MATCH rents space in The ArtsCenter and we host most of our events there, as well as our organizational meetings. It's an ideal venue for Repair Day - it's centrally located and easy to get to, and we have access to ArtsCenter resources like the MakerSpace, where there are 3D printers and other equipment that can help with some types of repairs. There's definitely room for artistry in repair though, like visible mending, where artistic repairs make items unique!

Are there items you can’t take for safety or complexity reasons? And if something truly can’t be fixed, how do you help the owner navigate responsible disposal?

AK: We don't allow visitors to bring any chemicals, such as cleaners or adhesives, for safety reasons and any volunteer can decline to work on an item for any reason. Item owners are responsible for disposing of broken items, but we can offer advice on proper disposal.

Community building: How does fixing a neighbor's toaster help strengthen the social fabric of Carrboro?

AK: Getting people together for in-person events is inherently community building, especially when the event has a lot of one-on-one interaction, and volunteers and visitors get an opportunity to talk to each other. When you provide a service for free, you can get attendees from all walks of life and meet people you wouldn't otherwise. We intentionally wanted Repair Day to be a recurring event in Carrboro, to be very rooted in this community. This is different than Repair Cafe NC, which travels around and brings free repairs to all parts of the Triangle. That is meeting an important need as well, of course. Our hope is to become a Carrboro institution like the Really Really Free Market to be a regular event that happens every month (eventually), where residents know they can go to get help fixing their stuff.

The Really Really Free Market takes place the first Saturday of each month at Carrboro Town Commons from 2– 4. Find The Carrborean's story on Repair Cafe here.

Repairing items can be a financial necessity for some and a hobby for others. How does MATCH ensure this event is accessible and welcoming to all residents, regardless of their background?

AK: Above all, the event is free! We don't charge anything for our time or any of the materials that we use during repairs, though we do accept donations if anyone wants to support us in that way. Everyone has broken stuff, so by offering free repairs, we draw in all types of people. We have some volunteers who speak Spanish, though we would love to expand that capability and be more accessible for the Spanish-speaking community. MATCH also has a strong awareness of masking and COVID safety as another form of accessibility. While we currently make masking optional at Repair Day events, if they become more frequent in the future we may do some mask-required repair events.

Preparation: what should someone do before they show up on Sunday? Should they bring specific spare parts (like a new plug or matching thread) or do the fixers provide the basics?

AK: While volunteers bring their own tools and whatever materials they think they may need, it's very helpful to get in touch with us ahead of time via email (matchlocal@proton.me) or social media to let us know what you're bringing and what's wrong with it. This allows us to bring the right tools for the job and we may also advise you on parts or materials to bring with you to boost the chances of a successful repair. We might also do that during the event itself - send people to get stuff from a local store and return with it to make repairs, or advise them on what to get so they can return next time.

If someone has a particular skill, e.g., they are great at soldering or darning socks, how can they join the MATCH team for future events?

AK: Please email us at matchlocal@proton.me if you would like to get involved in Repair Day or in any other aspect of MATCH.