Joe Tranquill, president of the Lions Club of Parkersburg, is shown with the 37,400 eyeglasses before they were taken to a Lions recycling facility in Roanoke, Va. Eyeglasses are stored at Mahone Tire Service thanks to Lion Barry Mahone. (Photo Provided)

PARKERSBURG — The Parkersburg Lions Club has delivered 34,700 used eyeglasses to Lions Eyeglass Recycling Inc. in Roanoke, Va.

The spectacles were taken to Virginia by Lions John Armiger and Dave Roberts in a box truck donated by Blair Couch.

The Roanoke recycling facility is among six centers in the United States. Centers also are in France, South Africa and Spain and all are operated by Lions Clubs.

The Virginia center, which began operation in July 1993, accepts used eyeglasses from the eastern United States.

Eyeglasses locally collected will go to those in need around the world. The Lions Club of Parkersburg has collection boxes at Foodland on Emerson Avenue and on Plum Street, Kroger on Division Street and on Seventh Street, Fruth Pharmacy in Mineral Wells and at local eye doctors.