by Dennis Dalman
Are you thinking about throwing away an old or unwanted pair of eyeglasses? Well, don’t. Instead, donate them to the St. Joseph Lions and the Y2K Lions clubs.
Those clubs collect used or no longer wanted eyeglasses at collection sites in the city and make them available for people who desperately need them. The sad fact is that for so many people in the world, a pair of eyeglasses is either unaffordable and/or inaccessible.
For where to drop eyeglasses off, see “Collection Sites” toward end of this story.
The following are some startling facts provided to the Newsleaders by area Lions clubs:
- Globally, one child in four cannot see well enough to learn to read without eyeglasses.
- In developing countries, an eye exam costs as much as one month’s wages, and just one doctor may serve a community of hundreds of thousands of people.
- Millions of people fail to reach their economic, educational and social potential without access to quality eyeglasses.
- Throughout the years, Minnesota Lions members have collected more than 12 million pairs of eyeglasses. The Minnesota Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center at Pine Center collects more than 500,000 pairs of eyeglasses each year from collection sites throughout the state.
- The Wisconsin Lions Foundation has a Recycling Eyeglass Recycling Center that processes between 800,000 and one million pairs of used eyeglasses each year at its regional processing center in Rosholt, Wis.
Collection sites
People in St. Joseph or elsewhere may drop off eyeglasses at any of the following St. Joseph businesses. Please note the last three places are in the mall where the Coborn’s store is located.
Sentry Bank, 400 Fourth Ave. NE.
Coborn’s Grocery Store, 1500 Elm St. E.
CentraCare, 1360 Elm St. E.
Magnifi Financial Commodity Credit Union, 1300 Elm St. E.
