The House Springs Lions Club is collecting items to donate to people living in three area nursing homes.
All the donated items will be divided into bags on Saturday, April 6, during the annual convention for the Missouri Lions District 26-M2, which covers Jefferson, St. Louis, Franklin, Washington and Crawford counties and the city of St. Louis. The three-day convention runs through April 7 and will be held at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel St. Louis-Westport.
“The entire district, with 37 different clubs, are doing a drive and supporting three local nursing homes in our area that are in desperate need of care items,” said drive organizer Cyndi Carr, a House Springs Lions Club member. “I’m super passionate about it.”
After the convention, the bags will be distributed to the nursing homes – Arbor View Nursing and Rehabilitation in Cedar Hill, the West County Care Center in Ballwin and the Missouri Veterans Home-St. Louis, she said.
Carr said the project is personal for her because her father died in February after living in a nursing home for three and a half years adding that residents at some nursing homes are not always treated with the best care.
“I saw, when I was visiting him, how other people were treated,” Carr said. “All they provided them, for example, was this body wash that’s yellow and smells like medicine and dries your skin out. It’s terrible.”
She said the donation drive will provide nursing home residents with shampoo, conditioner, denture adhesive, blankets, reading glasses and more.
Carr said residents often have trouble getting everyday items at nursing homes, like denture adhesives.
“They don’t provide that and most of the people there are on Medicare and can’t get new false teeth made,” Carr said. “They need that glue for their teeth so they can eat. It’s all those little things that we take for granted and don’t even think about.”
Carr said she spoke with coordinators at three nursing homes to ensure the Lions clubs get the most needed items for the care bags.
How to donate
Carr said those who want to help have several options for donating. Monetary donations may be made through a GoFundMe page the Lions have set up called Bringing Joy to Our Elderly Community. All money donated through that page will be used to purchase items for the nursing home residents, and as of March 29, $150 had been raised.
Click to view the House Springs Lions Club's GoFundMe page.
Physical donations may be dropped off on April 5 and 6 during the convention at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel St. Louis-Westport, 1973 Craigshire Road, in St. Louis County.
Carr said donations also may be arranged by calling her at 314-805-8157 or emailing her at lioncyndi5072@gmail.com.
The convention will include a hospitality night from 6-11 p.m. Friday, April 5, at the hotel, which is open to the public and is a good time to drop off donations, Carr said.
It costs $3 to attend the hospitality night, which includes beverages and food and offers attendees the chance to learn more about the Lions Club.
“There’s a live band and all of the different clubs set up hospitality booths,” Carr said. “It’s an opportunity to learn about what we do and why we do it; a lot of the time people use it for networking.”
She said the event is kid-friendly and has a patriotic theme. Participants are encouraged to wear red, white and blue.
What to donate
Cyndi Carr with the House Springs Lions Club urges people to donate the following items to be distributed to those living in three area nursing homes:
■ Personal-care items (such as denture adhesive, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothpaste, deodorant, lotion, shaving cream, etc.)
■ Comfortable socks with non-slip grip
■ Batteries for TV remote controls (AAA)
■ Non-perishable candy or snacks
■ Soft blankets or throws
■ Large-print puzzle books, reading material or other forms of entertainment
■ Reading glasses
■ Handwritten cards or letters of encouragement