Lions in Sight drive collects glasses, hearing aids, food on Big Island

The Hawaiʻi Lions mobilized volunteers across the Big Island on Jan. 23 for the statewide Lions in Sight collection, taking in eyeglasses, hearing aids and nonperishable food to support both international recycling efforts and local hunger relief. Ten collection sites operated across the state, with four Big Island drop-off points at KTA locations in Hilo, Kona Shopping Center, Waikōloa Village and Waimea. Volunteers from local Lions clubs and youth LEO clubs staffed the sites.

The 2026 drive added a new partnership with The Food Basket and Hawaiʻi Foodbank to accept nonperishable food donations alongside the traditional spectacle and hearing-aid collection. Collected eyewear and hearing aids are cleaned, sorted and prepared for redistribution: glasses frequently enter Lions’ recycling channels that send prescription and reading glasses to developing countries, while hearing aids may be refurbished and redistributed locally to residents with hearing needs.

For Big Island residents, the drive knit together several practical benefits. Donating unwanted glasses reduces waste and supplies low-cost vision correction overseas, easing pressure on international aid budgets and diverting usable goods from landfill. Refurbished hearing aids expand access to assistive devices in Hawaiʻi, potentially reducing demand on clinical and social services that support older adults. The addition of food collection means the same volunteer effort also strengthens inventories at The Food Basket and Hawaiʻi Foodbank, organizations that serve households facing rising cost-of-living pressures in the islands.

The effort also has a civic and workforce-development dimension. Youth participation through LEO clubs offers hands-on volunteer experience in logistics and community service, helping to sustain the volunteer pipeline as Lions Clubs District 50 prepares to celebrate 100 years of service in Hawaiʻi in 2026. That centennial underscores the Lions network’s longstanding role in filling service gaps and coordinating volunteer logistics across the islands.

Residents who want to contribute can drop off used eyeglasses, hearing aids and sealed nonperishable food items at KTA locations in Hilo, Kona Shopping Center, Waikōloa Village and Waimea during organized collection events. Contact your local Lions club for information on future drop-off dates and refurbishing programs.

The combined collection highlights a practical, multi-pronged approach to community need: recycling medical devices and eyewear, bolstering food-bank stocks, and engaging young volunteers. For Big Island neighborhoods, the drive is a reminder that small donations of everyday items can translate into vision, hearing and food security both locally and abroad.