In 2020, caring St. Albert and area citizens donated nine full apple boxes consisting of 3,710 pairs of usable used eyeglasses, along with broken frames, loose lenses, cloth wipes, clip-ons, and a number of hearing aids.
St. Albert Host Lions would like to thank all the collection sites in St. Albert and area. Check e-clubhouse.org for a list of places that collect glasses.
The Canadian Lions Eyeglass Recycling Centre in Calgary receives the eyeglasses from the St. Albert Host Lions and sorts, cleans, sanitizes, hand dries, inspects, and repairs them. The glasses then have their prescriptions read and are placed in a bag along with a printed prescription. They are then ready to be shipped to organizations across Canada for mission trips to developing countries.
Lions clubs from Alberta join up with a Lions Club in Portland, Oregon, to go on eyeglass mission trips to Mexico. The trip was cancelled last year but we are hoping to go again this year.
Lions around the world have been recycling eyeglasses for more than 90 years. The goal of the program is to meet the demand for quality eyeglasses in developing countries.
Since November 1996, about 10 million pairs of eyeglasses have been collected, and more than six million have been distributed, bringing sight to those in greatest need.
Judy Evans, St. Albert
