While your family is remaining at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is getting warmer than ever outside. For those of you who are not currently working, this is the ideal time to work on spring cleaning! The problem for many people we have found is actually getting the stuff out of your home once you have decided to do this. With the pandemic going on, local clothing bins are flowing over and there is currently no schedule for collections. The Holliston Lions are here to help! The Holliston Lions Club will be collecting used clothing, linens, eyeglasses, hearing aids and yarn!

Drop off times are: Sunday (TODAY) April 19, 12 – 2 pm; April 22, 3 – 5 pm; April 26, 2 – 4pm; and April 29, 4 – 6pm. To avoid overcrowding at the drop-off location, please sign up for a specific donation time slot. (link below)

• Use this form to “register” a time slot to drop your items off (we will add time slots if it appears we are facing high demand)
• Whenever possible put items in the trunk of your vehicle
• Remain in your vehicle at drop off location
• Please do not arrive more than 5 minutes on either side of your “scheduled slot”

Observing Physical Distancing and Being Safe

The drop off location will be in the parking lot located across from 1244 Highland Street. You will see a tent set up for your convenience.

We want you, our supporters to be safe and we also want our members to remain safe while we participate in this activity. Therefore, we will be asking those who have items to donate to do the following:

Holliston Lions members will retrieve dropped off items and will be wearing face coverings and gloves between drop offs and place them in our storage unit (located across from drop off location).

Used Clothing and Linens

Regardless of condition, size, or season, we will be collecting used clothing and linens. The clothes and linens will be turned into cash through our Savers program and will be used to add to our donations to Massachusetts Lions Eye Research Fund, Inc. This means your donations are also tax-deductible! If you need a receipt, simply send us an email at president@hollistonlionsma.org.

All items should be placed in plastic bags and should be tied closed. Winter coats should be bagged separately as we will save those for our Fall “Coats for Kids” collection where we will send coats to Anton’s Cleaners for distribution to those in need.

Eyeglasses and Hearing Aids

For many years, Lions Clubs have collected eyeglasses and hearing aids. Eyeglasses may be prescription glasses, store-bought reading glasses, prescription and non-prescription sunglasses and safety glasses. We send these eyeglasses off to a company who reverse prescribes and cleans the glasses which are then distributed to volunteer groups who travel all over the world and distribute them where they are most needed. This means thousands of people a year are given the gift of sight, many for the first time. These glasses are provided free of charge. Due to health regulations in the United States, we are unable to distribute them in the states.

We cannot accept broken frames, or individual lenses. Please remove eyeglasses from their cases and discard the cases. The eyeglasses should be placed into a bag separately from the other items we are collecting. Thank you for your generosity in advance.

When we are able to collect hearing aids, we send them to Starkey Institute. Starkey then refurbishes hearing aids of all kinds and makes them available to those who have limited resources in the United States. This is a great way to help someone who is facing limited financial resources be able to hear their loved ones.

Crocheting for Seniors

The Holliston Lions Club will also be collecting yarn. Whether you have full skeins, partial skeins, or small amounts of yarn that are simply collecting dust in your closet, we can use them! Any color, weight or material is acceptable. The plan is we will be taking all these scraps and turning them into lap afghans for people who are confined to nursing facilities over the holidays! We have already begun working on this project and any contributions you can make to this would be welcome. Please make sure yarn is in a bag separate from other items you may be donating.

Thank you as always for your support as we all navigate our way through this challenge. Stay well and stay safe. Sign up form is available on our website at https://hollistonmalions.org/events.