11th Annual “Lions in Sight” Eyeglass & Hearing Aid Collection, Jan. 25

File photo County of Maui/Lois Whitney.

Lions clubs across the state host the 11th Annual “Lions in Sight” Eyeglass & Hearing Aid Collection, on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020 at various locations.

Here on Maui, collection will take place at the Kahului Walmart store on Pakaula Street and at the Lahaina Cannery Mall fronting Longs in West Maui from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Hawaiʻi Lions are asking people to look through dresser drawers and closets for used eyeglasses and hearing aids and donate them to the Lions Recycle For Sight program.

The glasses will be distributed to those in need within developing countries where eye care is often unaffordable and inaccessible. Most recently, 5000 pairs of eyeglasses were distributed to villagers throughout the mountainous terrain of war-torn Afghanistan by Hawaiʻi Lions Club members. In most developing countries, an eye exam can cost as much as one month’s wages, and a single eye doctor may serve a community of hundreds of thousands of people.

The glasses will be cleaned, categorized by prescription and prepared for distribution by Lions, Leos and other groups. According to the World Health Organization, the eyesight of approximately one-fourth of the world’s population can be improved through the use of a corrective lens.

Hawaiʻi Lions collect eyeglasses year round and on this day, the Lions members will be out in force receiving unwanted eyewear at Walmart and other locations throughout the state.

The public may also place donated items in specially marked Lions Recycle For Sight collection boxes. Locations are also posted on the website, visit hawaiilions.org and click on “Eyeglasses.”

In addition to the eyeglasses, hearing aids will be also collected, cleaned and tested for local distribution.

Lions are known for their commitment to being “Knights of the Blind in the Crusade against Darkness,” a challenging statement made by Helen Keller in 1925. Eyeglass collection is a year round program.