The easiest way to get eyeglasses in northern Kentucky for people who are homeless is to work with an existing organization that provides free eyeglasses. Two organization in Kentucky presently provide eyeglasses to needy residents. The Lions Club collects and donates glasses via county health departments. New Eyes for the Needy eyeglasses and vision care through Kentucky Homeplace are two other organizations. However, if neither of these options will meet your needs you can start your own drive to collect and distribute used eyeglasses.
Instructions
things you’ll need:
Individual application for eyeglasses
Collection bin (optional)
Obtaining Free Eyeglasses from the Lions
1 Contact your county’s health department to see if they offer any vision care assistance program for those who are needy. Many partner with local Lions groups to provide free eyeglasses to underprivileged members of the community.
2 Request an application for free eyeglasses. If you are working with a group of individuals in need of eyeglasses, you will need to get separate applications for each individual.
3 A volunteer from the Lions Club will review each application and determine if the individual is eligible to receive free eyeglasses. This process can take six to eight weeks.
Obtaining eyeglasses from Kentucky Homeplace
1 Visit the Kentucky Homeplace website (mc.uky.edu) and locate the contacts page. The contacts who oversee services in each county are listed along with their phone numbers.
2 Locate your local Kentucky Homeplace representative on the list and contact them via telephone. If you do not reach someone, leave a phone message with detailed information on how they may contact you.
3 When your are able to speak with a Kentucky Homeplace representative, they will instruct you on what steps you need to take to secure eyeglasses or other vision care. Ask about their New Eyes for the Needy program. You may need to visit a family health clinic for a vision screening.
Create Your Own Eyeglasses Recycling Program
1 If you are still unable to secure eyeglasses through the Lions or Kentucky Homeplace’s New Eyes for the Needy campaign, you can start your own eyeglasses recycling program. You will need one or more clearly marked donation boxes.
2 Visit local community centers, churches, libraries, or other public locations to ask if you may place one of your collection boxes at their location.
3 Contact local newspapers and radio and television stations to let them know about your eyeglass collection campaign. Make sure to tell them how their readers or viewers can donate eyeglasses.
4 Check your donation boxes on a regular basis to collect any donations.
5 Have any donations that your receive checked to determine the prescription of the eyeglasses and sort them accordingly. Collected eyeglasses can be distributed to needy individuals with a matching prescription.