The Jacksonville Lions Club is taking orders over the next few weeks for their annual Christmas Fruit Sale.
Lions Club members Tom Atkins and Nick Farrar joined WLDS’ “What’s On Your Mind?” program on Friday to discuss the club’s yearly fundraiser.
For more than three decades, the service organization has taken fruit orders from Jacksonville residents to help raise money for certain local programs. Atkins says one hundred percent of the money raised goes back into the community to places like ISD and ISVI.
“A primary area of focus for Lions Club for many, many years has been support of visually impaired and hearing impaired. We collect eye glasses, we sponsor vision clinics. They’ve done that for over forty years, twice a year at ISVI, where school children are able to come in and receive whatever eye care they need,” Atkins explains.
The fruit supply comes from the Florida Fruit Association based in Vero Beach, Florida. Once it arrives in Jacksonville, Atkins says the Lions Club double-checks all of the fruit before it’s sold.
“It goes from that sorting room onto the truck and we receive it the next day, then we unload it on a Tuesday and we sort it again ourselves. We also go back through it and double-check every piece of citrus before we put it out,” says Atkins.
A number of citruses are available, including d-anjou pears, ruby red grapfruit, navel oranges, tangelo and more. Orders can be made by calling 243-3868.
All fruit orders must be picked up on December 14th, 15th, 16th or 17th at the garage near the rear of Illinois School for the Visually Impaired, located at 658 East State Street.