Dan Hettinger had a happy surprise when he started WNC Repair Cafe. He was moved by the connections he saw. Many volunteers didn’t know their skills are valued. They didn’t know how vital they are to their neighbors. 

Each person has God-given gifts that bless others. Gifts are to be nurtured and passed down.

Peggy Carlson learned to sew from her mom and Girl Scouts projects. She also took home economics classes in school.

Marc Czarnecki has repaired everything from canoe paddles to appliances at Repair Cafe events. He learned practical skills from his father. Repair knowledge uses STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). Kids who sharpen their STEM skills have “happy lifelong career milestones.” Fixing what is broken brings a sense of triumph.

WNC Repair Cafe volunteers guide kids and adults. People learned at a sewing event in 2022 how to thread machines, stitch stuffed animals, mend seams, sew buttons, and more.

Extra skills training workshops are planned. WNC Repair Cafe teams up with the Asheville Tool Library. It has over 2,000 donated tools. Members pay a low fee each year. Then they can check out a tool for up to a week at a time. They don’t have to buy it from a store.

 Mr. Hettinger stresses, “Shop classes and trades are so useful. These skills are needed. They’re not going away, and they’re something to be proud of.”

WNC Repair Cafe brings people together who might not otherwise meet. Folks of many ages and classes come. Each person gains from that exchange.

 Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. — Proverbs 19:20