Jelle Vonk (31) is a young boy among the ‘old guys’ in the Repair Café of the Piëzo foundation. Two mornings a week he voluntarily repairs broken lamps, defective coffee machines and malfunctioning kettles. His new challenge is his mother’s 40-year-old sewing machine: “That thing is used up, but I will definitely get it working again.”
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At the Repair Café, residents of Zoetermeer have broken vacuum cleaners, computers, radios and other equipment repaired. Together with a volunteer, people look at what the problem is and the solution. Jelle and his colleagues give approximately 70 percent of the inserted devices a second life.
Shoveling poop at the riding school
As a child, Jelle was often involved in crafting and building models from LEGO and K’NEX. “Together with a friend we made a crossbow. Despite the ban, we secretly tried the thing outside. Then we were caught and had to go to the police station. We were given community service: shoveling poop at a riding school.”
That man was so happy
Last summer Jelle was looking for a useful way to spend his free time. “I lived in Scotland for work and applied for a new job in the Netherlands. After a personal examination, I had to wait three months for the results. That’s why I wanted to fill my time with something I love most: crafting. I emailed Piëzo that I wanted to come and work at the Repair Café as a volunteer.”
Jelle joined us one morning and was immediately faced with some challenges. “A man brought his broken vacuum cleaner with a burnt-out circuit board. I replaced the resistor with a new one for 50 cents and it sucked like ever before. That man was so happy.” That same morning, Jelle replaced the fuse on an iron and helped a woman with her 20-year-old vacuum cleaner. “She broke the plug so I put a clip on it and it worked again.”
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Two itchy right hands
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After the introduction, Jelle stayed and has been working in the café for two mornings since then. “It feels good to help people. Sometimes when I see the waste equipment at the recycling center, my hands start to itch. Consider, for example, broken plugs on kettles. Most people throw the device away, but by replacing the plug you can enjoy it for a long time.”
Leaking coffee machine
Jelle finds leaking coffee machines for capsules the most difficult. He first asks the bringer if the device is ever cleaned before he decides to open it. “Those machines are so difficult to open that I prefer not to do it. But the challenge usually wins over my resistance,” he says, laughing.
One day he had to deal with a leaking coffee machine that he had difficulty opening. “There was caked coffee grounds in it so we removed that. After everything was put back together, it turned out that the device was still leaking. And then I get frustrated.” Jelle wasn’t feeling well so he opened the thing again and guess what? He had forgotten a part. “I actually had to go to work but I couldn’t leave until the problem was resolved.”
That problem had to be solved and would be solved
Grandma’s Walkman
Jelle’s grandmother likes to listen to ABBA music on her Walkman. Only she could no longer rewind her cassette tapes. “I had a new button printed in 3D and then my grandmother could listen to her favorite music again.” Jelle’s mother also has high expectations of her handy son. On the workbench in the cafe is her old sewing machine that no longer works. “That thing comes from East Germany and it has a broken cable. The 40 year old plug is no longer available so I am going to convert it. That is my new puzzle.”
Thinking of you
Jelle is happy with his volunteer position at the Repair Café. “I get a lot of energy from repaired equipment and happy people,” says Jelle. “Sometimes people give cakes or a tip for the pot. We then buy materials for that. Recently a lady said that she always has to think of me when she turns on the light of the lamp I repaired. Those are nice things, aren’t they?
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Repair Café Zoetermeer
Repair Café Zoetermeer of the Piëzo Ambachtenwerkplaats can be found at Teldersrode 25 in the Buytenwegh shopping center. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays you can bring your broken devices from 9:15 AM to 12:00 PM. The idea is that you stay there so that the volunteer can show what is not working. The help is free and you order and pay for the necessary parts yourself.
Who is the next Zoetermeer of the week?
Do you also have a special story? Or do you know a Zoetermeer resident who we really should interview? Let us know via [email protected].