Lions will collect eyewear and hearing aids in Lahaina and Kahului on Saturday, Jan. 25. PHOTO BY IRWIN SANTOS.

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.

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 on Saturday, Jan. 25, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Walmart in Kahului and in front of Longs Drugs at Lahaina Cannery Mall.

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

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.

Hawaii Lions also collect eyeglasses year-round in specially marked Lions Recycle For Sight collection boxes. Locations are posted at www.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.

Find out more about the Hawaii Lions and becoming a member by visiting www.hawaiilions.org.