Eyeglass Sorting Event

WE NEED YOUR HELP

Lions Club Eyeglass Recycling

A Lions Partnership with Lions in Sight and Vista Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired

sign-Lions Recycle for Sight

This is a volunteer event to help sort and clean donated used eyeglasses. Volunteer for part of the time, or work the entire event. Lunch will be provided. You do not need to sign up in advance for this event.

  • Help sort, clean, and box eyeglasses for shipment.
  • No heavy lifting required. 
  • No previous experience required.
  • Willingness to have fun while volunteering a plus!
  • Suitable for most skill levels/abilities.
  • Donations of clean towels and apple boxes also accepted.
    • We are currently in urgent need of apple boxes!
    • Please, bring apple boxes only (for consistent size). Speak to the produce manager at your local grocery store to see if you can pick up their empty apple boxes. Do not bring us other boxes.
  • Date: Next Event Still Being Scheduled – Probably in August or September (last one was in May)
  • Time: 9:00am-2:00pm
  • Location: Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, 101 N. Bascom Ave., San Jose.
    (Building is at the rear of the property).
⏵ Click to find out more about the scope of, and who is involved, in this great event…

Lions are in receipt of 100,000 or more used eyeglasses every couple of months through an anonymous corporate relationship. As of May 2025, more than ONE MILLION used eyeglasses have been recycled with the help of volunteers.

We couldn’t have done this without all of the volunteers that join us for our sorting events. Thank you! The recycled prescription eyeglasses are distributed to the needy in Lions in Sight and Lions International sponsored international medical missions.

Vista Center has graciously provided a room at their San Jose location for storage, and use of their auditorium for sorting and cleaning the donated eyeglasses.

⏵ Read more about this wonderful community activity, and one of our sorting events, in this article by SJSU’s Trevor Phillips by clicking this text.

This article features San Jose State University alumni and current students involved in an eye glasses refurbishing project at the Vista Center on Bascom Ave. The article features the Delta Gamma sorority, Gayle Kludt, Bob Stewart, Dave Kaplow and Her Campus, all involved in this incredible initiative.

Photo of some of the participants. Text: Framing the Future, One Lens at a Time. Despite the gloomy morning in San Jose, the Vista Center on North Bascom was already bustling with activity as people shuffled inside Some volunteers briskly weaved through the neatly spaced folding tables, carrying out various tasks.
Read the article

Monthly Activity: Sorting & Labeling Donated Items

Help sort and label donated clothing, toiletries, etc. for The Grateful Garment Project

Schedule Change: Moving to the 4th Thursday of each month starting in July!

On the fourth Thursday of each month, from 2:00-4:30pm, we help The Grateful Garment Project sort and label newly donated items. Contact us if you would like to join us at one of these sorting events.

The Grateful Garment Project provides victims of sexual violence the clothing and other resources they need to reclaim their dignity and begin the healing process. They work with hospitals, shelters, law enforcement and other nonprofits to meet victims’ immediate needs after a crisis, and support their ongoing needs along their road to recovery

Left: emergency whistles have been labeled. Right: Lions sit at a table attaching labels to new items.

Weekly Activity: Packing Meals @ Martha’s Kitchen

Special Notes, July 10, 2025:

  1. Martha’s Kitchen has announced that it is moving soon. Please check back here before volunteering to see if they have moved from their 311 Willow Street address.
  2. Martha’s Kitchen has been suffering from a shortage of volunteers on almost all shifts. If you can volunteer on other days and times (breakfast or lunch), they can use your help.

Almost every Wednesday each month we volunteer at Martha’s Kitchen, packing meals into take out boxes to be given to needy individuals. This takes place from 2:40-5:00pm. Contact us to join us for an afternoon of volunteer service. No cooking or heavy lifting is required.

  • Volunteers must bring proof of Covid vaccination
  • Masks are required
  • Closed-toe shoes only.

Martha’s Kitchen in San Jose is a nonprofit soup kitchen that currently provides nearly 100,000 meals and 250,000 pounds of groceries each month to those in need.

Weekly Activity: Lensometer Training & Use

sign-Lions Recycle for Sight

Volunteers needed to help measure used eyeglass lens strength

Lensometer training & use continues on Tuesdays, from 9:00am-11am, 11:00am-1:00pm, and 1:00pm-3:00pm. Four Lensometers are available per shift.

A lensometer is a device used to measure the strength of each lens in a donated pair of glasses. We use them so that we can label and sort the used eyeglasses to be given to someone in need. We have many thousands of pairs of glasses to be tested and labeled.

Eyeglass Sorting
Additional volunteers can also help sort and clean donated eyeglasses (the steps that occur before measuring the prescription with a lensometer). We sort donated eyeglasses to pick out the pairs that are not scratched or broken and can be reused as is. The broken eyeglasses are recycled.

Donate your old eyeglasses.

Do you have a pair of old but usable eyeglasses to donate? We collect used eyeglasses for reuse by those in need. In our area, you can drop off your gently used (not broken or scratched) eyeglasses at the following locations:

  • Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, 101 N. Bascom Ave. (at the back of the property), San Jose (24 Hour Dropbox located outside lobby door.) Map/directions.
  • Total Vision Campbell, 338 E. Hamilton Ave. @ Central Ave., Campbell. Map/directions.
  • Spectrum Eye Physicians
  • Dr. Sayed Jovkar, M.D., 15251 National Ave., #100, Los Gatos Map/Directions
  • All Costco Eye Centers
  • Bring them to one of our meetings: 1st-4th Thursdays of each month (except on holidays), 12:00 noon-1:30pm at Denny’s, 1140 Hillsdale Ave., San Jose Map/Directions

Please, do not leave printer cartridges, hearing aids, or cellphones at these locations. Only eyeglasses are accepted at dropoff locations.

© 2025 West San Jose-Campbell Lions Club Frontier Theme