Beacon’s Repair Café, run by an all-volunteer group, is returning on May 30.
From 1-4 p.m., Dutchess County residents can go to the Beacon City Recreation Center, at 23 W Center St., for free repair and refurbishment services for impaired or worn-out items.
The goals are simple: contribute to a healthier planet, reduce waste by stopping things from ending up in the landfill and reuse by breathing new life into treasured items.
Any broken or damaged items such as appliances, textiles and clothing, jewelry, bicycles, electronics and furniture may be repaired by an expert in their field at no charge. There will even be a welder helping with metal repairs.
If you’re looking for a Repair Café in a town closer to you or on a different date, we’ve got your list of all mid-Hudson Valley Repair Cafés happening in 2026.
How did this get started? How to get involved today
Started in 2016 by Antony Tseng, program director of the Beacon Volunteer Ambulance Corps, the Beacon Repair Café ran for three years, then went on hiatus in 2020, according to its website.
The café resumed services in 2024, led by a group of local Beacon and Fishkill organizers, including residents, business owners and community groups.
Repair Café Beacon is part of Sustainable Hudson Valley’s program Repair Café Hudson Valley, but this initiative is global, too. It was born in Amsterdam in 2009. To see other Repair Cafés across the world, visit repaircafe.org/en/visit/.
For more information on Repair Café Beacon, visit repaircafehv.org/beacon. Interested volunteers can email beaconfishkillrepaircafe@gmail.com.
Where repair cafés are in the mid-Hudson Valley
Here are the other repair cafés happening in the mid-Hudson Valley across Dutchess, Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties this year, by date:
Find a map of all the repair cafés across the Hudson Valley and across New York State at repaircafehv.org.
Nickie Hayes is the Breaking & Trending News Reporter for the Poughkeepsie Journal and focuses on how to make the most of what the mid-Hudson Valley has to offer. See her most recent articles here. Contact reporter Nickie Hayes: NHayes@poughkee.gannett.com, 845-863-3518 and @nickieehayess on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Free fixes at mid-Hudson repair cafés help cut waste and save money
Reporting by Nickie Hayes, Poughkeepsie Journal / Poughkeepsie Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

