The Environmental Center’s Rethink Waste Project is sponsoring Central Oregon’s first Repair Cafe from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Pakit Liquidators, 903 S.E. Armour, Bend.

The free event is meant to connect people with broken items with others with the skills or tools necessary to fix them. Volunteers will be on hand to repair small appliances, clothing, bikes, knit goods, small furniture, some jewelry, backpacks and more, according to a press release.

“A Repair Cafe is a fun event that brings people together and engages them with their stuff,” Denise Rowcroft, Rethink Waste Project coordinator, said in the release. “A lot of the goods we buy are so cheap it doesn’t seem worth it to repair, but that just keeps us stuck in a consumptive cycle of buying more stuff — which costs us personally and globally.”

Attendees should bring their broken items and any replacement parts (or money to buy parts at the event). All broken items may not be able to be repaired at the event, but the volunteers will do their best with what they have. There will also be an unfinished projects area where resourceful upcyclers and DIYers will be on hand to lend ideas, tools and skills to projects.

Food will be available for purchase from the El Sancho food cart.