In 1990, a United Methodist Volunteers in Mission team traveled to the rural mountains of Jamaica to help communities still recovering from Hurricane Gilbert. While some volunteers repaired damaged homes, schools, and churches, a medical team provided basic health services, including eye exams and eyeglasses. Two optometrists from Memphis had donated 1,000 pairs of glasses after months of careful collection and labeling. However, the team soon discovered a major problem: fewer than 200 people could use the glasses provided, and the prescriptions for the remaining pairs did not match the needs of hundreds of people still waiting for help.

After returning home, volunteers worked to understand what went wrong. Through conversations with the Lions Club and faculty at the Southern College of Optometry, they learned that eyeglass donations must be carefully screened and matched to the specific vision needs common in the regions being served. At the time, this process required significant time, training, and professional expertise—resources that many medical teams and clinics simply did not have. As a result, large numbers of donated glasses went unused, and many people continued to live with correctable vision problems.

To solve this challenge, Project 20/20 was created in 1992 as a regional eyeglass donation and processing center. Organized by the Memphis Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, the program was supported by more than 500 churches across west Tennessee and west Kentucky. Trained volunteers—most of them not optometrists—collected, sorted, and screened donated eyeglasses. In 1993, Project 20/20 made its first shipment of glasses to medical teams serving in Costa Rica and Belize. With support from the Southern College of Optometry, along with custom-designed equipment and software, the screening process became accurate, efficient, and accessible to volunteers of all ages. Since then, tens of thousands of carefully screened eyeglasses have been distributed to medical mission teams around the world, helping people see clearly and improve their quality of life.

Today in 2026, Project 20/20 is proudly housed at Emmanuel United Methodist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, where it operates our lab and storage facilities dedicated to improving vision access. Our mission is designed to be self-sustaining, rooted in stewardship, volunteerism, and resource management. The generosity of our volunteers and supporters from across the country fuels every aspect of our work—from collecting and sorting donated eyewear to supporting outreach initiatives that place glasses directly into the hands of individuals in need.

After each pair of eyeglasses is carefully inspected in our lab by trained volunteers, it enters a purposeful lifecycle aligned with our mission of service and sustainability. Usable frames and lenses are thoroughly cleaned, sanitized, graded, and packaged for reuse through partner organizations serving underserved communities domestically and internationally. Eyewear that cannot be reused is responsibly diverted from landfills by being sent to trusted third-party partners who recycle the metal and plastic components found in frames and lenses, ensuring environmentally conscious disposal. Select donated frames are also refurbished and sold through our online store, generating program revenue that is reinvested directly back into operations—helping fund supplies, shipping, mission support, and educational outreach.

Through this circular model—reuse, recycle, and reinvest—Project 20/20 remains mission-focused while reducing waste and maximizing the impact of every donation. Our self-sustaining structure allows us to expand access to vision care, empower volunteers with meaningful service opportunities, and ensure that the gift of sight continues to reach communities that need it most.

Please reach out if you would like to learn more about supporting our mission to Helping People See Better Around the World