“A neighbor learning from a neighbor” was the theme of Needham’s first Fixit Clinic hosted by the Needham Free Public Library on Saturday, April 11. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the library’s Community Room was filled with lamps, clocks, microscopes and sewing machines looking for a second life.
A cross-collaboration between the Sustainability Department, Recycling & Solid Waste Division and the library, the clinic was an extension of the town’s Climate Communication Strategy theme for April: repair and reuse.
“Matt [DeMarrais, superintendent for the Recycling & Solid Waste Division] has already such a robust waste reduction programming going on across multiple different categories, so I was trying to find something that we didn’t already have,” sustainability manager Gabby Queenan said.
“Do you have a broken item in your home that you know you could fix with the right guidance?” the Fixit flyer stated. “… By repairing instead of replacing, participants help reduce waste, conserve resources, and support the Town’s sustainability goals. Fixit Clinics are educational workshops conveying empowerment, critical thinking, and troubleshooting skills through the act of repairing.”
Although a first for Needham, Fixit Clinic is part of a much larger trend. Neighboring towns such as Waltham, Newton, Cambridge, Arlington, Walpole and Chelmsford all have come to appreciate the benefits of community members helping other community members repair household items; these repair spaces are often hosted at the local library.
“There’s a lot of new ideas about, you know, keeping something out of the trash stream by repairing it and fixing it,” said DeMarrais. He noted this simple, “old-fashioned concept” has been lost over time.
“It’s great when we save a few items from going into the trash. But it’s more of the larger thought-process of not buying something to have it be thrown away immediately — that disposable culture.”
Fixit Clinics come with no guarantees. The goal, organizers emphasized, is not a 100% fix-rate, nor is the clinic meant to operate like a dump-and-go. Participants are asked to stay with their coaches throughout the process, learning from them and brainstorming together.
The idea of hosting a Fixit space in Needham first took root in conversation between Queenan and Needham Free Public Library’s assistant director Diana Fendler. Both newer to their positions, the two connected at the town’s leadership training and discovered a shared enthusiasm for Fixit workshops.
“Gabby mentioned, ‘Oh, you work in a library — I’m with Sustainability; I would love to do this kind of Repair Cafe, Fixit Clinic,’” Fendler recounted. “And I said, ‘Oh, in my previous library, I was involved in some of these.’ And then we just got all really excited.”
The idea was not given serious consideration until November 2025. The two began to consult other towns with Fixit workshops, brought DeMarrais on-board, and posted registration forms for volunteer coaches and participants.
Community members with skills to offer signed up as repair coaches and were asked to identify topics of interest and areas of experience. Community members with items in need of repair reserved timeslots and were matched with a coach whose skills suited the task.
Sign-ups filled quickly, with 19 coaches and 22 repair-seekers. “It was a wonderful surprise, both for repair coaches and for participants who wanted to join the program, which was great,” said Queenan. She added: “That [was] probably one of the highlights of my week, each of the names coming in — especially for the repair coaches, because we really didn’t know if people would be willing to volunteer their time and their expertise and their tools.”
The enthusiastic response allowed organizers to assign multiple coaches to a task. At the textile table, one individual’s knowledge of sewing machines was paired with another’s crocheting experience. Five coaches were divided between two lamp tables, putting their heads (and tools) together to strip wires and identify broken switches. Fifteen items were repaired, and others diagnosed with advice given on part replacement. On top of the 22 repair-seekers who reserved timeslots, a few walk-ins also found assistance.
The clinic was the result of a “perfect partnership,” Queenan said, and is the “pinnacle example” of what can happen when collaborating across multiple sectors. Fendler’s experience with similar workshops in other libraries, DeMarrais’ funding connections, and collective interest drove the event forward.
“Libraries have always been a place for all people to gather the community together, and our fundamental philosophy is also lifelong learning,” Fendler said. “So this is a perfect kind of opportunity to provide that space for that community engagement, and then there’s a learning aspect to it.”
“This [clinic] kind of has a larger, almost a philosophical element of just thinking about your material culture, if you’d call it that,” said DeMarrais. “And maybe that’s putting too much on the event, but I think that has a real value for the town.” He noted the workshop could also earn Needham sustainability “points” with the state as an initiative supporting waste diversion, opening the door to more community grant funds in the future.
Funding or no funding, DeMarrais said he hopes the spirit of Fixit will move forward among Needham residents: “We want to support it, but it would be great if the users, the fixers and the repair people use their energy as community members to keep this going.”
Queenan, Fendler and DeMarrais are optimistic that there will be more Fixit Clinics coming to Needham.
“There’s something to be said for engaging people and giving people an opportunity to take that one step that makes a little bit of difference,” Queenan said.
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