HELOISE: New Eyes for Needy requests your help

Dear Heloise: New Eyes for the Needy needs your help! It was a few years ago that you advocated for us in your column, and we received an outpouring of support for our programs of providing free eyeglasses to poor people in the United States and distributing used glasses to the impoverished in developing countries. Your readers enthusiastically and generously responded by sending New Eyes for the Needy more than 2,000 pairs of glasses.

The past two years of economic troubles have taken a toll on the bottom lines of many nonprofits like ours, and, like most, we have adapted our strategies, cut costs and recommitted ourselves to getting more help for people who need it.

We welcome and appreciate any assistance you and your readers can provide. Thank you for your consideration.

Jean Gajano, community relations coordinator, New Eyes for the Needy

Jean, your organization deserves recognition and thanks for the much-needed service it provides. Users of the program are given coupons to obtain prescription glasses. To be eligible to receive new prescription glasses, applicants must be in financial need (there are guidelines), have a new eyeglass prescription and have no other resources available to pay for the glasses, including federal or state programs. There is an application online, or you can call 973-376-4903.

Donations of eyeglasses, reading glasses and sunglasses are classified by volunteers and shipped to poor countries. Jewelry, watches and giftware are just a few of the items the organization accepts, and these are sold in its resale shop. Monetary donations are welcome and tax-deductible, including any postage. You also can organize a collection at your office or place of worship, or make a donation as a tribute or memorial for a loved one.

Send donations to:

New Eyes for the Needy 549 Millburn Avenue Dept. H. (for Heloise) Short Hills, NJ 07078

The www.neweyesfortheneedy.org website has a lot of good information about the program as well.

Heloise

P.S.: You may take your good vision for granted, but don’t! Pass on the gift of sight!

Dear Heloise: The anonymous-call rejection service gives anyone trying to keep his or her phone number from showing up on caller ID a recording saying that these calls are not accepted.

However, there are some downsides to it. I worked for a medical answering service. Nothing was more frustrating to our on-call physicians than receiving this message when they were trying to call a patient with an urgent after-hours call. The doctors block their numbers from showing up on caller IDs.

Please check with the phone company, which can provide you with the codes and instructions needed in order to turn this service off temporarily so that you can accept these calls when needed.

Deb in Colorado

King Features Syndicate