Specsavers support office team members ditched their desks and donated a day to Lions Recycle for Sight last week, helping to process thousands of pairs of pre-loved prescription glasses and sunglasses kindly donated by Specsavers customers nationwide.
The glasses underwent a three-step process to ensure that only the best glasses would be sent to people in need overseas. Volunteers first ensured any scratched, damaged or unacceptable glasses were culled, then the glasses were both machine and hand-cleaned before being measured through a lensometer, categorised and boxed according to prescription.
Optometry data consultant, Pamela Tse volunteered at the drive, making the most of the paid day of volunteer leave that Specsavers offers its team members annually.
“It was a privilege to be able to spend a day processing pre-loved glasses that will eventually be given to people overseas who may not have had access to eyewear otherwise.
“It’s great that Specsavers not only enables this great work through its in-store pre-loved glasses collection boxes and partnership with Lions Recycle for Sight, but also that it offers paid volunteer leave. All we had to do was turn up and work hard for a day and Specsavers covered the rest!”
The processed glasses will be included in Lions Recycle for Sight’s international program which has seen its Australian headquarters alone deliver more than 7 million pairs of refurbished quality glasses to men, women and children in need across many regions of the world through hundreds of humanitarian groups and charities over the past 30 years.
Pamela says: “Everyone deserves the right to sight. I like that at Specsavers, we contribute to this every day in everything we do – whether through supporting our clinical or retail teams in stores or by getting behind programs like this.”
