Providing Glasses to the World: Transforming Used Eyeglasses into Clearer Futures.
The Wisconsin Lions Foundation operates a premier Eyeglass Recycling Center (LERC) dedicated to providing vision correction to those in need. By collecting, cleaning, and prescription-grading used eyewear, we turn your unwanted glasses into a life-changing tool for someone in an underserved community.
Our mission bridges the gap between Wisconsin’s generosity and global vision health. Through a vast network of collection points and dedicated staff and volunteers, we ensure that millions of pairs of glasses are kept out of landfills and placed into the hands of those who need them most.
“On average, over 1 million pairs of eyeglasses are processed through our facility annually, providing a vital bridge between donated resources and global vision health.”
Our Processing Facility
The Eyeglass Recycling Center (LERC) in Rosholt is a high-volume hub of humanitarian activity. Between July 2024 and June 2025, our dedicated teams collected 1,006,253 pairs of used eyeglasses, meticulously cleaning and sorting them to prepare for their next journey.
Mission Trip Support
We supply international medical missions with high-quality, pre-graded eyeglasses, ensuring that doctors traveling to underserved regions have the right tools to restore sight.
For more information on missions, click here.
Environmental Stewardship
Our recycling efforts go beyond vision health; we are a major contributor to local sustainability. This past year alone, over 20,000 lbs of eyeglasses were redirected from landfills for recycling, turning potential waste into a life-changing resource.
What We Do
Find a Collection Box Near You
If there are locations that need to be added or removed from the map below, please click here to complete an update request.
Donate
Your financial gift supports our ability to help those in need.
Join Our Efforts
Join the teams at the LERC to help clean, sort, and prepare glasses for their next journey.
Start a Collection
Become a collection partner by hosting a bin at your business, organization, or place of worship.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
The History and Heart of Our Mission
While informally collecting used eyeglasses since the 1950’s, the Wisconsin Lions Foundation’s (WLF) Eyeglass Recycling Center was established in 1990 with a grant from Campaign Sight First with the Lions Club International Foundation (LCIF). This resulted in WLF operating one of just nineteen Lions International Certified Eyeglass Recycling Centers in the world.
A small team of dedicated staff and volunteers at our facility in Rosholt works to sort, wash, read, package, and ship eyeglasses to missions around the world. We receive approximately 1 million eyeglasses per year from donors and ship approximately 200,000 eyeglasses annually to missions to provide sight for those in need. To help process the volume of eyeglasses received, WLF has established a partnership with the Stanley Correctional Institution for inmates to assist with the reading of eyeglasses. WLF is also working to establish satellite eyeglass recycling locations throughout the state of Wisconsin, to allow Lions who are not in Central Wisconsin the opportunity to help process eyeglasses.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of eyewear do you accept?
Prescription glasses, sunglasses, readers, and even broken frames for parts.
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Resource Library
Access our full collection of eyecare recycling project.