Community Outreach

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Helping those in need in our community.

The DeAnza Lions Community Outreach program is directed to helping disadvantaged individuals in our community. Each year we provide funds, support and a helping hand to hundreds of adults and children addressing issues of education, health, hunger and emotional well-being. This effort is highly leveraged through our partners in schools and charity organizations that help us identify individual needs. We are grateful for the plentiful donations of local businesses and the generous support of our corporate sponsors and individual contributors who, through fundraisers, help finance our outreach projects. Together we are able to make a big difference in the lives of those less fortunate.

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Providing free diabetes screenings with the A.J. Robinson Health Screening van

Kids await health screening

Kids await health screening

Diabetes is a silent killer that affects 7.8% of the U.S. population, with nearly a quarter of those cases undiagnosed, particularly in the young and poor. Left untreated, diabetes may cause heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, blindness, kidney and nervous system disease and death. To aid in the early diagnosis and treatment of diabetes, the DeAnza Lions conduct and fund free health screenings to hundreds of people at public events held several times per year. The tests are administered by the Lions (AJ Robinson) Mobile Screening Unit manned by DeAnza Lions volunteers and a registered nurse or doctor who measure height, weight, blood pressure, respiratory rate, blood sugar, visual acuity, color perception and hearing. The tests highlight risks and indicators for blindness and diabetes that alert patients to seek a health professional for follow-up. Check our calendar for the date and location of our next mobile health screening.

Center for Farmworker Families, Watsonville, and the DeAnza Lions Club – Short History

It all started in 2018 when the Santa Clara County Office of Education approached the De Anza Lions asking for help with clothing donations for the migrant families in South County. The families were going to work in the fields while the kids were going to school in the rain wearing flip-flops and T-shirts.  The Lions saw the need and immediately jumped in to help by providing warm clothing and shoes.

With the beginning of the pandemic, however, the County was no longer able to accept donations, but the Lions wanted to keep helping this needy population, so Lion Claire Kalia asked around and found the Center for Farmworker Families.  Based in Watsonville, the Center helps and advocates for the migrant farm worker community, and the Center was very happy to accept clothing and other donations.  The partnership between the De Anza Lions and the Center for Farmworker Families has continued to grow, and in 2021 the Lions added the Center to its Thanksgiving Food Drive, delivering 50 turkeys and many other non-perishable items to the families in Watsonville.

Now, Lions Club members take carloads of donations to the Center approximately once per month, and we look forward to continuing this beneficial partnership in the future.

Center for Farmworker Families (farmworkerfamily.org)

Helping education through improved vision in the classroom

A local student receives glasses

Good vision is essential to a child’s education. Some 80% of what a student learns students learn is through their visual system, yet one in four children has a vision problem that can interfere with learning. Many of those students come from financially disadvantaged families who cannot afford the cost of eye exams or eye glasses. The DeAnza Lions have teamed with schools and optical companies to provide the gift of sight to these children and maintain their hope of escaping the cycle of poverty through education. In most cases, we are able to provide refractive eye exams and glasses with charitable funding of as little as $50 per student. We are currently providing for eye exams and eye glass prescriptions at a rate of two individuals per week.

This program is made possible through the generosity of our partnering sponsors, the Luxottica Foundation, Lens Crafters and Sears Optical. Luxottica is the world’s largest eyewear company. The DeAnza Lions purchase $50 vouchers through their Foundation’s OneSight program that enable a needy student or adult below the Federal Poverty level to receive a basic pair of glasses. We work with schools to assure that each student applicant meets the minimum poverty level and lack of insurance requirements qualifies for the program. Then help set up the eye exam and subsequent fitting with a partnering optician. Our partners typically provide their services free of charge as part of this program.

The families, schools and students affected by benefitting from this community outreach program have expressed immense gratitude. Many of these students see the blackboard and textbooks clearly for the first time. As Knights of the Blind, the DeAnza Lions take great pride in this outreach program as so much is leveraged with so little. Funding of as little as $1000 can dramatically change the lives of as many as 20 students. Click here for testimonials of this program.

Assisting local students gain valuable lifelong skills via the Student Speaker Contest

Every year the DeAnza Lions Club financially supports high school students who enter in the Student Speaker Contest, organized by the Lions Club districts. This support can include transportation as well as room and board for contestants that make it to the later rounds and need to travel to regional and zone events. The Cupertino DeAnza Lions Club usually organizes the club contest at the Odd Fellows Hall and provides tellers and time keepers as well as invites judges. Light refreshments are also provided.

Providing Thanksgiving meals to those in need

Ray Lancon filling food box

Lion Ray loads boxes to be handed to those in need.

Since the mid-1980’s the DeAnza Lions Club has organized an Annual Food Drive on the weekend before Thanksgiving in order to support the less fortunate in our community. From modest beginnings, the Food Drive has expanded over the years and today we deliver Thanksgiving food boxes to more than 190 low-income families and people in need. Each delivery provides food ingredients that should last a family of four for at least a week. The club supports schools and charity organizations, such as Even Start Family Learning Center, the Support Network for Battered Women and Young Parent Program.

Lions club members as well as the affiliated LEO clubs and students of Bellarmine HS collect, box and distribute over $10,000 worth of food donations received during the weekend from generous shoppers at Lucky’s store in Mountain View, Food Maxx in Santa Clara and Lunardi’s in Los Gatos.

Via West Campus – Greenhouse & Garden

In May 2020, during the Covid pandemic, several Lions went to Camp Via West for an annual clean up session. During that time Lions were offered the opportunity to work in the greenhouse and the garden (formerly established by the Cupertino DeAnza Lions Club). Lions Joan and Dagi, together with other helpers, cleared the GH and garden and started growing fresh produce, which for 18 months was delivered to the West Valley Community Services and later split between the Camp kitchen and WVCS.

The request of the lions members for a Camp employee to take over the management of the garden has not been fulfilled, but after 5 years the garden is still supported by other camp employees and at least one lion.

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Hunger at Home

Each day in Silicon Valley, tens of thousands of pounds of excess food and surplus goods are dumped in our landfills and go to waste. In a Valley where one in three people experience food insecurity, Hunger at Home was created to connect the food and goods with those in need. Hunger at Home partners with local convention centers, hotels, and sports stadiums to collect excess food and goods to distribute to the hungry and homeless through a robust nonprofit network. To date, Hunger at Home has donated 11 million meals locally and helped distribute much needed items like towels, blankets, kitchen items, and hygiene kits. Hunger at Home also helps the clients of its nonprofit partners with job training and placement in the very businesses that donate excess food.

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Vision Clinic

For years, used eyeglasses have been collected by Lions Clubs, and after cleaning and recalibrating, been sent abroad to help vision-impaired individuals in other countries. It is now possible to organize vision-clinics locally and give individuals not only a thorough test of their eyes, but fitting eyeglasses, all free of charge. The latest vision clinic was set up in Salinas on Oct 05, 2025.

Several hundreds of people were seen by doctors and nurses and walked away with new glasses and better vision.

Wreaths Across America

More details to follow

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