To satisfy one of the Club’s major objectives, the Vinton Breakfast Lions Club (VBLC) relies on the donation of used eyeglasses for the recycling effort in the Roanoke Valley.
To facilitate this effort, the VBLC recently placed a refurbished donation box in the Kroger Pharmacy (Vinton). Previously, the box was located outside the Kroger facility. Lions Club members collect, sort and transport the donated glasses to the Eyeglass Recycling Center on Elm Avenue in Roanoke. The Center is one of eight in the country. There, the glasses are inspected, washed, and checked for prescription using special optical machines. Over 75,000 glasses are processed each year for shipment within the United States and countries around the world to those without the ability to afford glasses.
In addition to collection of the eyeglasses, the VBLC and their associate LEO Club at William Byrd High School provide several hundred volunteer work hours to the Recycling Center each year.
In addition to the Vinton Kroger, the VBLC has donation sites at Lotz Funeral Home, Jerry’s Restaurant, Grand Rental, Kroger (Bonsack), Walmart (Bonsack) and Dr. Neal Jessup’s office on Gus Nicks Boulevard. VBLC members gladly accept used glasses from the public at any of the Club’s regular events during the year.
Submitted by Lion John Berry
