More than 120 million people can’t see clearly enough to read or get a job. Not because they need surgery, but because they can’t get glasses. Meanwhile, in the U.S., people typically get new glasses every two to three years. And many of the old pairs end up in the trash. The Colorado Lions organization has a simple solution: recycle glasses from those who don’t need them and give them to those who do. As Lions like to say: “you need to be able to see to succeed.”
The beauty of the Lions system is that all it requires is for someone to drop their old glasses off in a public collection box. To make that even simpler, Lions launched a program with new outdoor collection boxes and is putting them in public places.
One of the newest locations is:
Pueblo Cooperative Care Center
326 W. 8th Street
Pueblo, CO 81003
The box is located in the Center’s parking lot adjacent to the 8th Street sidewalk. “We know people want to help, and we also know that no one wants to add more trash to the landfills” says Cathy Valenzuela, President. “That’s why we decided to put larger boxes out in public. People can find them and we’ll take care of the rest.”
Colorado Lions trained volunteers clean and sanitize glasses that are in good shape and each one is measured with a Lensometer to determine the correction power and type (nearsighted or farsighted). Glasses are then labeled, packaged, and shipped. To minimize waste, the Lions sell the broken and scratched glasses for recycling and use the funds to support the program.
Fast Facts:
- In 2022, Colorado Lions will install 40 new collection boxes throughout Colorado.
- Colorado Lions have been recycling eyeglasses since 1937.
- Prior to the COVID pandemic, Colorado Lions distributed 65,000 pairs of glasses.
- 23,000 pairs were sent to Peru, Nepal, Honduras, Mongolia, Kenya, Cuba, and Guatemala and 42,000 pairs were sent to Feed the Children, an NGO that distributes glasses and food to many countries. Colorado Lions have also carried out eyeglass missions in Ethiopia, Ecuador, Senegal, and Haiti.
Lions is an active community organization and its members volunteer, raise money and direct sight and family-focused programs. To learn more about Pueblo Charter Lions or to join, volunteer or support their cause, call (719) 560-0694. You can also send an email to pueblolions@gmail.com or visit Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PuebloCharterLions/.
In the wake of Pueblo Cooperative Care Center’s provision of 300 services on a single day, we are now required to undertake numerous logistical modifications to better serve our clients and our communities. We believe this to be a proactive measure and not a reactive engagement like the one we all went through with the SARS-CoV-2 (Coronavirus) or COVID-19 pandemic. Please see the attached document (in English and Spanish) which overviews our transitions, and while we do not have a timeline for getting back to the way things have been for the past 40 years we do look forward to that day in the future.