Mason Government Center houses the Lions Clubs’ eyeglass recycling operation

When the Lions Clubs’ Eyeglass Recycling Center of Northern Virginia lost its home, Mason Supervisor Andres Jimenez stepped up to offer space in the Mason Government Center.

Local Lions Clubs collect eyeglasses from people who no longer need them, fix them up, and ship them overseas.

Last year, they gave away more than 34,000 glasses, says Pam Martinov, of the Bailey’s Crossroads Host Lions Club and operations director of the eyeglass recycling program.

The Eyeglass Recycling Center was previously based in a private home in Arlington that the owner rented to the Lions for $1 a year. After the owner died in January, the heirs are selling the house.

There’s no way the Lions could afford to rent commercial space, Martinov says. “We are beyond grateful that the supervisor had extra rooms they could lend to us.”

There’s a bin in the Mason Government Center lobby where people can drop off unneeded eyeglasses.

The Lions are using two rooms in the building for the eyeglass recycling operation.  

On Tuesday and Saturday afternoons, members of the Lions Clubs wash and dry the glasses, use a machine to read the prescription strength, discard glasses that are scratched or broken, sort them according to the prescription strength, and pack them in boxes. The boxes are kept in a trailer in the government center parking lot until they are picked up for delivery.

Church and medical missions take them overseas to distribute to people who can’t afford to buy eyeglasses. Many end up in the Philippines, Uganda, and various countries in Latin America and Africa.

The Eyeglass Recycling Center also collects non-prescription glasses and hearing aids.