# Fix-It Fair Finder: Repair Café Event Tracker ## The Problem Repair cafés save hundreds of pounds of electronics and textiles from landfills every year—but finding them requires checking five different Facebook groups, three church newsletters, and maybe a flyer at the library. Events get poor turnout not because people don't want free repairs, but because discovery is fragmented. Meanwhile, volunteer fixers show up without knowing what skills are needed, and residents arrive with items nobody present can fix. ## Who Uses It **Rosa, the Repair Host** — Runs quarterly fix-it events at her church. She spends hours posting to every platform she can think of, still gets only 12 attendees, and wishes she knew ahead of time that four people need sewing machine help so she could recruit her quilting guild friend. **Marcus, the Reluctant Tosser** — His kid's beloved lamp broke six months ago. He knows throwing it away is wasteful but has no idea repair cafés exist. A Google search for "free lamp repair [city]" returns nothing useful. **Chen, the Volunteer Fixer** — Retired electrician who'd love to volunteer but doesn't know where to show up or whether his skills are even needed. He wants to sign up for events that specifically need electrical repair. **Delia, the Library Program Coordinator** — Wants to host a repair café at her branch but doesn't know where to find volunteer fixers or what items residents actually need repaired. ## Core Features 1. **Event Discovery Map** — Interactive map showing upcoming repair café events with filters for date range, item categories accepted (electronics, textiles, bikes, small appliances, furniture), and distance. Each event pin expands to show address, hours, host organization, and what to bring. 2. **"I Need This Fixed" Pre-Registration** — Residents submit what they need repaired (item type, brief description, optional photo) before an event. This creates a visible queue that helps hosts understand demand and recruit appropriate volunteers. 3. **Host Event Submission** — Event organizers fill out a simple form: date, time, location, item categories accepted, volunteer skills available, any special instructions (bring your own extension cord, drop-off only, etc.). No account required—submission goes through with email verification link. 4. **Skill-Matching Volunteer Board** — Fixers browse upcoming events and see which ones need their skills based on the pre-registration queue. "This event has 6 pending electronics repairs and only 1 electronics volunteer signed up" creates useful urgency. 5. **Post-Event Impact Logging** — After an event, hosts can log simple stats: items repaired, items unrepairable, estimated pounds diverted from landfill. Aggregated stats display on a community impact dashboard. 6. **Event Reminder Notifications** — Residents who pre-register or save an event get email/SMS reminder 48 hours before. Hosts get a summary of what's in their repair queue. 7. **Free Materials Feed Integration** — Surface repair-relevant free items from the community (spare parts, fabric scraps, broken-for-parts electronics) alongside repair events. ## WellSpr.ing Integration Points ### MCP Tools (via POST to https://wellspr.ing/mcp, JSON-RPC 2.0) | Tool | Integration Purpose | |------|---------------------| | `get_free_items` | Pull repair-relevant free items (spare parts, fabric scraps, broken-for-parts electronics) to display alongside events. Filter for keywords like "parts," "repair," "broken." | | `get_local_news` | Surface news articles about sustainability, repair cafés, right-to-repair legislation to display in a sidebar or newsletter digest for engaged users. | | `search_civic_services` | Help hosts find venue options—community centers, library meeting rooms, church halls that might host events. | | `get_city_services` | Display relevant city programs (bulky item pickup, e-waste drop-off) as alternatives when repair isn't possible. | | `ask_ody` | Power a "Can this be fixed?" helper—users describe their broken item and get guidance on whether it's a good repair café candidate or needs professional service. | | `submit_business` | Allow repair cafés that operate as ongoing programs (not just one-off events) to register in the WellSpr.ing business directory for permanent discoverability. | | `get_businesses` | Find local repair shops to suggest when an item is beyond volunteer repair scope—"This vintage radio might need Mel's Electronics on Main Street." | | `get_civic_ideas` | Display community ideas related to repair, sustainability, and waste reduction to inspire hosts and volunteers. | ### REST Endpoints | Endpoint | Integration Purpose | |----------|---------------------| | `GET /api/geo/portals?area_code=NNN` | Determine user's local area for filtering events and connecting them to their neighborhood's repair ecosystem. | ### WCIB Integration | Endpoint | Integration Purpose | |----------|---------------------| | `GET /api/wcib/ideas` | Pull related civic tech ideas to show builders adjacent projects (tool libraries, freecycle networks). | | `POST /api/wcib/ody-ask` | Power the conversational item assessment feature and help users understand repair feasibility. | ### Future: Covenant Commerce (Roadmap — not yet live) When payment rails and merchant registration become available, repair cafés could accept optional donations, and skilled fixers could offer paid repair services for complex jobs—creating a pathway from volunteer repair to sustainable local repair economy. ## Data Model ``` ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ EVENTS │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ id, title, host_name, host_email, location_name, │ │ address, lat, lng, date, start_time, end_time, │ │ categories[] (electronics|textiles|bikes|appliances| │ │ furniture|other), │ │ description, special_instructions, verified (bool), │ │ created_at │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ REPAIR_REQUESTS │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ id, event_id (nullable for "open" requests), resident_name, │ │ resident_email, item_type, item_category, description, │ │ photo_url, status (pending|claimed|repaired|unrepairable), │ │ created_at │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ VOLUNTEERS │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ id, name, email, skills[] (matches event categories), │ │ zip_code, notify_new_events (bool), created_at │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ EVENT_VOLUNTEERS │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ id, event_id, volunteer_id, skills_offering[], confirmed │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ┌─────────────────────────────