Recycling sight: Sikeston Lions Club eyeglass collection box returns
SIKESTON - The Sikeston Lions Club collection box for eyeglasses has a fresh coat of paint and a new location.
Wednesday afternoon, members of the local club watched as the box, bearing a bright coat of yellow and purple paint, was rolled into place at the corner of Main and Tanner streets, on the parking lot of Carnell's Collision Repair Specialist.
According to Drs. Cassidy Obermark and Dan Obermark, local optometrists and Lions Club members, the public can use the box to donate used prescription eyeglasses and prescription and non-prescription sunglasses by dropping them in the box. The donated glasses are shipped to a regional Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center where they are cleaned, categorized by prescription and prepared for distribution by Lions and other groups.
"The Lions Club works with an organization called Saving Sight, a charity for people in need of eye care and vision health," said Cassidy Obermark. "They go to people in need either here in our area or throughout the country or even internationally."
They estimated the Sikeston Lions Club and the nearly 100 other Lions Clubs in their District collect tens of thousands of glasses annually for the program.
Dan Obermark said there is a definite need for those gently-used donated eyeglasses.
"We are always trying to get the word out," he said. "The Lions Cub pays for about 30 to 40 eye exams and glasses per year locally."
Cassidy Obermark said the application process is fairly simple and applications are available by calling their office in Sikeston.
The Recycle for Sight program is just one of the Sikeston Lions Club's projects, Dan Obermark added.
"We do a lot of good work to help people," he said. "If there is anybody in need, just let us know we would like to help."