HEMPHILL LIONS RECYCLE FOR SIGHT

As spring cleaning season gets underway, the Hemphill Lions Club is asking people to look through drawers and closets for old, unwanted eyeglasses and donate them to the Lions Recycle for Sight program.

During the month of May, the Hemphill Lions Club will be collecting used prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses as part of a unique recycling program throughout the United States and Canada.  The glasses will be distributed to those in need in developing countries where eye care is often unaffordable and inaccessible.

"We need everyone to donate their old glasses," said Robin Johnston, Hemphill Lions Club president.  "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 shipped to one of ten Lions Eyeglass Recycling Centers where they will be cleaned, categorized by prescription and prepared for distribution by Lions 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.

To donate used eyeglasses, place them in specially marked Lions Recycle for Sight collection bins located in businesses around Hemphill including: Edward Jones, Hemphill Eye Clinic, Big Bob’s Barber Shop, Brookshire Brothers, The Sabine County Chamber of Commerce, Sabine State Bank, First State Bank, First Bank & Trust East Texas, Hemphill Hearing, and the JR Huffman Public Library.