Before he opened up an aging toaster to see if it was fixable, Rob Hollins applied a voltage tester.

鈥淚鈥檓 just trying to make sure it鈥檚 not a hazard,鈥� Hollins explained.

Hollins was one of the many volunteers who worked on everything from lamps, to computers, as well as a DVD player, blender, coffee table and lots of textiles, during the 91原创 Environmental Partners Society (LEPS) Repair Cafe held Nov. 25th at the Firehouse Cafe in Aldergrove on 2900 272nd St..

鈥滻 have been working with electronics since I was about eight,鈥� Hollins, a Surrey resident, explained.

鈥淢y dad brought home a great big clunky 1929 Rogers batteryless radio and it wasn鈥檛 working, and by the time we finished with it on the dining room table, it was working.鈥�

After teaching music for 50 years in, he has come full circle by volunteering at repair cafes, 鈥渇ixing old stuff and having a great time doing it.鈥�

Another volunteer, Otter resident Irene Venena, began her day with an especially challenging sewing repair project, a jacket that had been fixed with duct tape.

鈥淚 already feel like a failure,鈥� laughed Venena, a professional 鈥渟ewist.鈥�

鈥淭his is so destroyed.鈥�

LEPS watershed restoration technician Sophia Nguyen, the coordinator of the Aldergrove event, said the goal of the cafe was 鈥渢o help people repair items that they may otherwise not be able to get repaired, keeping stuff out of the landfill and getting people together of all types.鈥�

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It was the third and final LEPS repair cafe of the year. Both floors of the building that houses the Firehouse Cafe, run by Meals On Wheels, were occupied by volunteers.

READ ALSO: 91原创 environmental group gets $10,000 grant for Repair Cafes

There will be more LEPS repair cafes next year, thanks to a $10,000 grant from Vancity, part of more than $1 million given out from the credit union鈥檚 to environmental groups.

At two previous LEPS Repair Cafe events this year, volunteers were able to repair 64 items, including bikes, clothing, machinery, and small appliances.

LEPS executive director Nichole Marples described them as 鈥渁n overwhelming success.鈥�

Marples estimates the CO2 emissions saved from those repair cafes at about 4,752 kg 鈥� the equivalent carbon emissions of driving 31,762 km.

鈥淭his is a new focus for LEPS,鈥� Marples said, 鈥渁nd it has helped to expand our reach, bringing in new volunteers and making more people aware of the work we do.鈥�