Hawaii Lions collect eyeglasses year-round, and on Saturday, Lions members will be out in force receiving your unwanted eyewear. The Maui collection sites are Lahaina Cannery Mall outside Longs Drugs and Walmart in Kahului.

LAHAINA – Lions Clubs worldwide will be performing community service projects as part of the “Lions In Sight” initiative to raise public awareness of the vital role Lions Clubs play in their communities.

As spring cleaning gets underway, Hawaii Lions ask residents to look through dresser drawers and closets for used eyeglasses and hearing aids, then donate them to the Lions Recycle For Sight program.

The Maui collection sites are Lahaina Cannery Mall in front of Longs Drugs and Walmart in Kahului from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 26.

The glasses will be distributed to those in need within developing countries where eye care is often unaffordable and inaccessible.

Most recently, 5,000 pairs of eyeglasses were distributed to villagers throughout the mountainous terrain of war-torn Afghanistan by Hawaii 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.

You may also place used glasses in specially marked Lions Recycle For Sight collection boxes. Locations are posted on HawaiiLions.org (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. Find out more about the Hawaii Lions and becoming a member by visiting www.HawaiiLions.org.