Lions Club Members Hit the Street for Back-to-School Drive

"What do Lions say?" Barbara Chuck asked loudly.

"Roar!" said everyone as they squeezed around Chuck as the camera flashed.

President and Zone Chair of the Nanuet Lions Club, Barbara Chuck joined a few of the club's members Saturday and Sunday in front of Pathmark store in Nanuet for a food and back to school drive. A table set up by the grocery store's exit held two bins of crafts made by the Lion's Club and people were offered one of the crafts as a "thank you" for their donations

The Lions Club accepted school supplies and money for the back to school drive they co-sponsor along with the Varsity Athletes Against Substance Abuse. The supplies are going to 30 families in Clarkstown.  The Lions Club was also accepting food and household donations for one of the many food panties they support.

Among the members that showed up at the back to school drive included the Lions International District Governor Michael Bryceland.

"The Lions Club is working toward a goal of four service programs: youth, preventable blindness, hunger and the environment," Bryceland said. He coordinates 35 Lions Clubs.

Chuck said that $500 and a palatte and a half of food is the usual amount raised in a weekend such as this one. All proceeds go straight back to the public and the club runs on its membership dues.

The Nanuet Lions Club is in the process of changing its name to Clarkstown Regional Lions Club. Next up: They will be in front of the Stop and Shop store in Nanuet at 32 South Middletown Road.

The club raises money for charitable causes mostly dealing with vision, hearing, diabetes, substance abuse, literacy and environmental issues. Some of the ways the club raises money are through pancake breakfasts, spaghetti dinners, raffles, regular food drives to support local food pantries and even events like health fairs and speed dating.

"Anyone that is in need, we try and help," Chuck said. "Because that is what lions do, 'we serve' is our motto."

 The club also works with Petsmart to raise money for Guiding Eyes for the Blind and raise money for local people who need vision, diabetic, literacy or hearing help. They received more than 4,000 pairs of used eyeglasses in less than two years for its eyeglasses recycling program.

On August 28, the club will be at Stop and Shop at 32 South Middletown Road in Nanuet from 10-4 pm for a food drive to help a local food pantry. They will also be selling raffles to benefit their vision charities. As usual they will have little key chains and critters as gifts for donators.

The Lions Club meets every 2nd and 4th Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Clarkstown Town Hall, 10 Maple Ave., New City, in room 301.

The meetings have an open-door policy and members have a one-time application fee of $30 and annual dues that are pooled into four different pools to be used for charitable grants: club, district, state and international.