Jan/Feb 2026 Newsletter
A letter from Executive Director Elyse Hochstadt
Dear Spokane Zero Wasters,
I write to you in a moment of despair, at a time of a new and horrific reality in our country. I feel disoriented and outraged, helpless and determined and so many things in between. What I know for certain is that we cannot stand by and wait for change. This is a time of action, a time of resistance to the forces that are counting on a violent response to their own violence. But, an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind and “non-violent direct action is the historically winning strategy.” (badass cross stitch). It’s harder and requires levity, planning and cooperation; a few of the tenets of a healthy democracy.
Coming together as a community, building trust with our neighbors no matter their skin color, their country of origin or their sexual or gender orientation, is a revolutionary act right now as is working to find common ground and a healthy respect for differing opinions. In contrast, fascism relies on suspicion, demands conformity and rewards nothing and no one, it is the outcome of desperation.
To honor the recent lives lost, including Renee Good, Alex Pretti, Keith Porter, Parody La, Heber Sanchez Dominguez, Victor Manuel Diaz, Luis Beltran Yanez-Cruz, Luis Gustavor Nunez Caceres and Geraldo Lunas Campos, and as a call to action against revisionist history, I’m leaning into craftivism as I did in 2017, making pussy hats for the Women’s March in Washington D.C. This year I’ll be making the Melt the ICE Hat ($5 for pattern, all proceeds to the immigrant aid agencies who will distribute the funds to those impacted by the actions of ICE) and balaclavas for our friends on the ground in Minneapolis, and I invite you to join me. If crafting isn’t your thing or doesn’t feel right at this time, here are some suggestions, along with the hat and balaclava patterns, for other ways to get engaged. Whatever you decide to do, however you take action, know that it is important and meaningful.
Also know that SZW events and classes are always welcoming and inclusive. We are a safe space for you to be you.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
- Martin Luther King Jr.
SZW Executive Director Elyse Hochstadt Mender/ Sewing Teacher Michelle Eames and Mend-It Cafe Manager Erin Bietz
SZW Program Receives Honor
SZW's Mend-it Cafe was recognized in the annual "Difference Makers" awards by the Spokesman Review and Numerica Credit Union. We are honored to be recognized, along with our friends from the Repair Cafe, as spearheading solutions to the waste crisis. Mend-It Cafe provides free repairs to clothing and household textiles so they stay in circulation longer and reduce waste in our community. Sew It, Don’t Throw It! Learn more about Mend-It Cafe and upcoming events here.
Student sewing at Get to Know Your Sewing Machine Class
Sewing is a Revolutionary Act
Ask historians about Betsy Ross, and you’ll hear a variety of tales, but the fact is our country formed and unified under a flag painstakenly hand sewn by women. Stitching continues to be revolutionary with mending at the forefront.
Learning to sew; make and mend your clothing and other textile items is an act of self-sufficiency and an opportunity for self-expression. It also bucks the capitalistic doctrine of buy more, more, more! This translates into make more waste! With textiles being predominantly made of plastic and adding thousands of tons to our waste stream, making them last longer through repair or repurposing will help reduce that burden in the short term.
Understanding the lifecycle of various materials, how they’re made, how they wear and what happens to them at the end of their use life is how we move towards a more circular and sustainable textile system. Be a revolutionary, learn to sew! Click here to find out about upcoming classes and workshops.
Volunteers sorting SCC donation by material type
Stage Left, Stage Right, Stage Reuse!
Through the hard work and commitment of Oran Diaz, Sustainability Program Specialist, and the support of Tuyen Tran, both from Spokane Community College, SZW received a huge donation from the college's now defunct theater department.
Thanks to the generosity of the 11 volunteers that helped transport and sort through the 770 lbs of clothing items in that donation, we have been able to provide 100lbs of usable costuming materials to The University High School Theatre department and 11lbs to Blue Door Theater, (we’ll be working on increasing that number throughout the year.) Additionally, we sorted out over 60lbs of clothing suitable for prom wear which will go to Sew She Can for distribution.
It was a fun and educational experience sorting items by material, one that traced the history of textile manufacturing through design, fiber content, craftsmanship and durability, or lack thereof. We found garments with United Garment Workers tags and 1940’s wool coats tailored for a specific person, no worse for wear, alongside synthetics and blends that clearly showed their age, which is likely less than 10 years.
The next step in our process is to go through and determine which items are fit for deconstruction and reuse, mending, or shredding for respinning. If you’d like to help with the process, let us know here.
Volunteer Kris Layh, Oran Diaz and Tuyen Tran of SCC and SZW Executive Director Elyse Hochstadt loading up old theater department costumes
Volunteer Opportunities:
Prepare materials for upcycling: Come help prepare rescued textiles and other materials for use in ReCraftLAB creations. Wednesday. Feb. 4, 1-3 and Thursday Feb. 5, 1-3pm at our studio, 2026 N. Hamilton Street no sewing expertise necessary, we'll just be cutting materials to size.
Join our development committee: Spokane Zero Waste is a 501c3 non-profit organization, like so many other charitable organizations in our nation, our funding sources are fewer and we are competing with other worthy causes for operational dollars. Join our development committee, and help us innovate ways to keep our doors open so we may continue to be the voice of waste-related issues in Spokane.
Help organize our Second Annual Earth Day Block Party in collaboration with River City Youth Email info@spokanezerowaste.org, subject line Earth Day Volunteer
Tori Thurman
Congratulations Tori Thurman,
SZW Education Director
Our bubbly, vivacious and oh-so-talented Tori, got some well deserved recognition in the latest issue of Trending Northwest. We can attest to Tori’s online success, it’s how we found her in the first place! High five Tori, we are so grateful you’re part of the SZW community. You can meet and learn from Tori in a number of in-person classes at our location on N. Hamilton Street. Check out our schedule here.
Menders at 2026 appreciation party and fabric swap
Thank you Menders!
We love our volunteer menders, and we love to celebrate them. Our menders make Mend-It Cafe happen, they teach and assist in our classroom, and they are out in the community doing amazing heartfelt work all the time.
This year, our party was in the SZW studio and included soups from Soulful Soups, culture breads from Grainshed, some home cooked additions, and a fabric swap!
Interested in becoming a mender? We’d love to hear from you! Click here
