Here at Minnevangelist HQ, we’re in major spring cleaning mode. After donating furniture, home goods, and clothing to Avivo and Goodwill, we wondered what to do with the big pile of outdated prescription glasses Ashlea Halpern had been hanging onto since her ye olde college days, a.k.a. when dinosaurs roamed the earth. After a bit of Googling, the answer became clear: Minnesota Lions Vision Foundation.

Since 1960, the nonprofit has helped people with visual impairments by raising funds for the University of Minnesota’s Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences, educating the public about eye donation, and — ding! ding! ding! — collecting used eyeglasses for humanitarian missions. The World Health Organization estimates that the eyesight of one-quarter of the world’s population could be improved through the use of corrective lenses, but eye exams and glasses can be prohibitively expensive in developing countries. That’s where our old glasses — and yours! — come in.

Minnesota Lions have collected more than 11 million frames to date. This includes used prescription eyeglasses (the lenses must be intact), nonprescription sunglasses, and reading glasses. We mailed our jumble of golden oldies to the Minnesota Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center at 1201 Oak Pond Dr., Sartell, MN 56377. But you can also drop used frames off at one of thousands of collection locations scattered throughout the state, including any Sam’s Club or Wal-Mart store with a Vision Center.

Visit mnlerc.org or call 320-253-1371 for more info. 🤓