If you wear glasses, you probably have some old eyeglasses that you no longer need or use. Instead of tossing out those old eyeglasses or letting them clutter up your cabinets, you can donate them to a charity. By donating your eyeglasses, you are helping to get them to people that can’t afford eyeglasses. When you make your donation, you can get a receipt so that you can claim the donation on your taxes. You can only claim the fair market value of the frames, and not the lenses, when you claim the donation on your taxes.
Instructions
1 Gather up all of your eyeglasses that you want to donate. You can donate multiple pairs at the same time, either in person or by mail.
2 Choose a charity for your eyeglasses donation. Some charities that accept eyeglasses for donation include Lions Clubs and Goodwill. Use their websites (see Resources) to find a location near you. Some eyeglass stores, such as Pearle Vision and Lenscrafters, accept old eyeglasses for recycling.
If you prefer to mail your eyeglasses to a charity, you can send them to:
Lions Clubs International Headquarters
Attention: Receiving Department
300 W. 22nd Street
Oak Brook, IL 60523
or
New Eyes for the Needy
549 Millburn Avenue
P.O. Box 332
Short Hills, NJ 07078
3 Pack your eyeglasses in cases, if you have them. Take the eyeglasses to the donation center or mail the eyeglasses. If you are mailing your donation, include a self-addressed stamped envelope so that your donation receipt can be sent to you. When donating in-person, you can simply ask for a donation receipt.