Changing Lives One Pair of Glasses at a Time

Pictured: Bernice Beck from the Rainier Lions working at a lensometer at Northwest LERC (Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center) in Olympia WA.

The Rainier, Yelm and Roy Lions donate time at the Northwest Lions Recycling Center located in Olympia. Club members volunteer their time at the center - sorting, washing and drying used eyeglasses. The eyeglasses then go a technician who reads the prescription using a lensometer. Then the technician packages and labels each pair of glasses.  Glasses are shipped to one of over 200 mission’s worldwide. Even broken and scratched glasses are recycled to help pay for the overhead of the center.  There are only 5 eyeglass recycling centers across the country.

Since 2004, the LERC center in Olympia has processed over 1,500,000 pairs of glasses and distributed over 150,000 pairs to missions in third world countries. Over 45,000 hours of time have been donated to the center in Olympia by, Lions, students and concerned citizens.

 Recycle your old eyeglasses, reading glasses as well as prescription glasses.  Check out those drawers and boxes on closets shelves and donate the gift of good sight. Eyeglasses can be donated to any Lion or look for donation boxes at local area businesses. Boxes are located at Safeway, Tim's Pharmacy, Jim Bob’s restaurant, and many other Yelm locations. In Rainier at Ginger Street, Senior Center, Thrift Store, Rainier Barber Shop and Rainier Emergency Food Center.

If you are interested in helping or would like to make a donation please contact a Lion or The Northwest Lions Recycling Center located at 9013 Mullen Rd S.E., Olympia, WA. 98513, or call 360-923-2075.

You can also get more information be visiting the web site at www.lionsnwlerc.org