Poor eyesight negatively effects the livelihood and education of millions of people each year. Optical tools like eyeglasses and contacts simply aren’t available or affordable to everyone. If you no longer use your old eyeglasses due to style or a prescription change, donating your old pair is a thoughtful way to help someone in need. Several charitable organizations offer collection sights at municipal and commercial locations throughout Minnesota.
Instructions
1 Drop off old eyeglasses at one of hundreds of participating commercial vision centers in Minnesota. Many commercial eye-care centers partner with a charitable organization that collects eyeglasses and distributes them to needy individuals throughout the world. All donated eyeglasses are cleaned and repaired by volunteers. Volunteers also categorize the glasses by prescription strength before sending them with teams of eye-care specialists to developing countries. Chain eye-care centers offer drop boxes at their stores throughout the state of Minnesota. See the first link in the Resources section to search for the nearest commercial vision center drop-off site.
2 Deposit your used eyeglasses at a designated drop-off site in your area. Anoka County, for example, offers a list on its waste management website of recycling or community centers that collect old eyeglasses. After collecting the donation boxes, volunteers remove damaged lenses, categorize each lens by strength and send usable eyeglasses on vision missions throughout the world. Most of the public drop boxes for eyeglasses are located at recycling plants or municipal centers like city hall or a local hospital.
3 Send your eyeglasses to an international collection center if your area of Minnesota does not have a public drop box. Prevent damage or scratching by wrapping your eyeglasses in a single or double layer of plastic wrap and enclosing them in a small cardboard box for shipping. You can also place your eyeglasses inside an old, hard-surfaced eyeglasses case before enclosing them inside a box and mailing the package to its final destination.
Tips & Warnings
Donate your eye glasses immediately after receiving your new pair. Eyeglasses lying around your home or in storage are vulnerable to damage and scratching.