100th Anniversary

The Ephrata Lions Club will be celebrating our 100th anniversary on Saturday, March 22. Details will be announced soon.

Ephrata (Pennsylvania) Lions Club

The Ephrata Lions Club meets the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month at American Legion Post 429 (300 Cocalico Street, Ephrata), with some exceptions. The dinner-meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. (6:00 beginning in September), with presentations and Club business meeting follows the meal. Check our club information page for meeting details, or contact a club member to confirm meeting dates and locations. The Club is always seeking new members who are interested in community service. Interested people -- including non-members and visiting Lions -- are always welcome to attend.

Our beneficiaries include the following: Beacon Lodge Camp, Ephrata Area Social Services, Ephrata Baseball Association, Ephrata Community Ambulance, Ephrata Education Association, Ephrata H.S. coed rifle team, Ephrata H.S. Leo Club, Ephrata H.S. senior award, Ephrata H.S. students of the month, Ephrata Pioneer Fire Company, Ephrata Public Library, Ephrata Recreation Center, Ephrata Youth Football, Hist. Soc. of Cocalico Valley, Hugh O'Brian Youth Conference, Leader Dogs for the Blind, Lebanon Co. Sight Committee, Leo's Helping Paws, Lincoln Fire Company, Lions Clubs International, Lion of PA Foundation, Mountaineers Table, PA Lions Hearing Research, TeenHope, and VisionCorps.

Our activities include the following: Bingo, Community Easter egg hunt, Eyeglass and hearing aid recycling, Eyeglasses for needy families, Food drives, Highway clean-ups, Library book sales, Police appreciation picnic, Sports card show and auction, Veterans expo, and White cane fund collection.

Donations of Eyeglasses and Hearing Aids

Our large collection "mailbox" has been relocated to Redner's Warehouse Market, 423 North Reading Road, in Ephrata Commons. It is left of the main entrance. (We also accept used, working cellphones in the "mailbox".)

We collect and recycle eyeglasses and hearing aids. Collection boxes are located at the locations listed below. (We do not accept or lend out any other medical equipment.)

• Ephrata Family EyeCare, 101 East Main Street
• Ephrata Public Library
• Eyeland, Cloister Shopping Center
• Dr. John J. Flaim O.D., 1521 West Main Street
• Dr. Dennis A. Reddig O.D., 32 Hummer Road

We also collect money for eye research at several local businesses, including the following: 3 Sisters Chicken, Charlie's Fuel & Deli, Dairy Queen, Ephrata Plaza Diner, Gus's Keystone Family Restaurant, the New Cloister Restaurant, and the Pancake Farm.

Community Donations

The Ephrata Lions Club held their annual Contribution Night on June 6, 2024 at the Ephrata American Legion. The Ephrata Lions contributed over $20,000 to the following organizations: Ephrata Area Social Services, Ephrata Ambulance Association, Ephrata Baseball Association, Ephrata Pioneer Fire Co., Ephrata Public Library, Ephrata Rec Center, Ephrata Youth Football, Lincoln Fire Co., and Mountaineer's Table at ECOB. These contributions were made possible due to the fundraising efforts to support the Ephrata community with our Sports Card Show and the Spring Bingo Night. In addition to these contributions, the Ephrata Lions Club continues to support other area organizations and sight impaired programs. Our motto: "WE SERVE" continues as we approach our 100th anniversary in 2025.

Pictured above, left to right: Ryan Ellis, Casey Ellis, Walt Bair, Stephanie Weber, Les Martzall, Jean Wentz, Jeremy Dropnity, and Abigail Balmer.

Veterans Expo

Our initial veterans expo was held at the American Legion ballroom on November 12, 2023. And will be back again next fall on Sunday, November 10 from 11AM to 3PM. Location is still to be determined. Crafters/nonprofits/others interested in taking part can contact  us at  vetexpo@ephratalions.org.

Community Support

The Ephrata Lions Club has partnered with Good’s Store to donate $100 gift cards to the 12 families that were displaced from the tragic fire on East Main Street in August. The Leos Club (students of the Ephrata school district) is also working with EASS to supply displaced students with clothing and other needs. Pictured: Rosa Beiler, Cashier Manager at Good’s Store and Steve Montpetit, Ephrata Lions Club President.

Ephrata Fair Bingo

Article courtesy of the Ephrata Review

Disaster Aid Packages

Floods and fires across the nation have displaced a large number of Americans. They often end up at shelters with only the clothes on their back. To help care for them, Lions Clubs across the US have been gathering and assembling personal-care packages.

As part of this on-going service project, the Ephrata Lions recently put together packages for 300 individuals in need. The kits include: Toothpaste, Tooth brushes, Mouthwash, Dental Floss, Deodorants  Hand sanitizer, Mini first aid kits, Shampoo, Conditioner  Lotion, Soap Bars or Shower Gel, and Feminine Hygiene Products.

Disaster Aid is an on-going service project of the Ephrata Lions.

Honoring Ephrata Police

The Ephrata Lions held their Annual Summer Picnic in the Ephrata Township Park pavilion. The picnic was catered by Mission BBQ. As they have done every summer in recent years, the Lions invited the Ephrata Police to join them. It is always the Ephrata Lions' pleasure to show appreciation to our local police by having them join us for our Summer Picnic.  Through the years the Lions Club has enjoyed meeting and greeting them, and thanking them for the protection that they give our community.  It is a small token of appreciation to the men and women in blue. The Ephrata Lions Club supports our police and they in turn, are appreciative of our invitation.

Club History and Other Information

The Ephrata Lions Club was chartered on Feb 26, 1925. The Ephrata area, as well as our state, nation, and all corners of the world have since benefited from the individual and combined efforts of the club members. The club has certainly taken the Lions' motto “We Serve” to heart. After ninety-four years of community service, our club is justly proud to be one of more than 47,000 clubs in over 200 countries, in an organization with more than 1.4 million members.

Although the club is best known for the annual sport card show and the Ephrata Fair bingo, we also support the community through Adopt-A-Highway, the community Easter Egg Hunt, food drives, used eyeglass collection, and White Cane Days collections. Our other fundraising projects support Ephrata Area Social Services, Ephrata Baseball Association, Ephrata Community Ambulance, Ephrata High School Senior Service Award and Students of the Month, Ephrata Performing Arts Center, the Ephrata Public Library, Ephrata Recreation Center, Ephrata Youth Football, the Historical Society of the Cocalico Valley, Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership seminar, Leader Dogs for the Blind, the Lincoln Fire Company, Lions Clubs International Foundation, Lions of PA Foundation, Mountaineers' Table, PA Lions Beacon Lodge Camp, the Pioneer Fire Company, Sight Conservation Committee of Lebanon County, the Samaritan Counseling Center’s TeenHope project, VisionCorps, and other community needs that arise.

Our Board of Directors meetings are usually held immediately following the 2nd monthly Club meeting (the 3rd Thursday).

Typical exceptions to the normal meeting schedule include the following:

• January of even-numbered years (2024): one meeting is usually moved to the 2nd Tuesday to meet with the Akron Lions Club.
• April: one meeting is typically moved to the Friday when the District 14D Presidents' Honor Night is scheduled. Holy week may also impact the scheduling.
  
• July: our only meeting is a special event. (There is usually no board meeting in July.)
  
• August: our only meeting is a family picnic usually at the Ephrata Township Park on the 3rd Thursday.
• October: one meeting is held at the District 14D Region III Rally, usually on a Thursday.
• December: our 2nd meeting is a family party, reservations are required.

There may be additional exceptions to our meeting schedule due to holidays, special activities, visitations, etc. Please check our club information page or the club meeting box (to the right), or contact a Club Officer or any Club Member to verify meeting dates and locations.

Other Notes

Interested in knowing more about the Club or in becoming a member? Contact any Club officer or member, or contact us at one of the addresses below.

Guests, new members, and donations are always welcome.

The Club is collecting eyeglasses, hearing aids, and inactive cell phones at our yellow "mailbox" at Martin's Country Market.

Donate to the Ephrata Lions Club

Due to the corona virus, the past few years have proven to be very difficult for the Ephrata Lions Club, as it has been for almost everyone. We have been unable to hold some of our larger fundraisers. That means we have limited funds for people unable to afford eye exams or eyeglasses, and we may not be able to donate to some of the other community organizations we normally support.

So if you can, please donate to the Ephrata Lions Club, so we can support other organizations and people in need in the Ephrata Area.

Contact Us

Email us at info@ephratalions.org.

Follow us on Facebook at "Ephrata Lions Club" (@ephratalionsclub)

Our mailing address is:

Download our membership application.