As part of an effort to combat eye disease, some bright yellow coin boxes are popping up at locations around Park County.

The Cody Lions Club set up the boxes as part of the group’s continuing efforts to provide life-changing vision assistance to area residents. The club hopes that, instead of stuffing change in a car tray or purse, people will donate their coins in the Lions Coin Banks.

“In and of themselves, they don’t usually add up to much,” the Cody Lions Club says. “But what if those small amounts were added to other small amounts from caring people all over the Big Horn Basin and eventually the world? Soon the combined effects of those small donations added up to the life changing amounts for people in need!”

All of the proceeds will go toward diabetic screening, education and corrective procedures to improve the vision of those in need. Although diabetes is not always associated with vision, it’s the No. 1 cause of blindness around the world. It’s also the most preventable cause of blindness, prompting Lions Club International to launch a new effort to target the disease.

Cody Lions Club, founded in 1922, is the group’s largest chapter in Wyoming.

“We have been providing for the residents of Cody, Powell, Meeteetse and small communities with life-changing vision assistance from the start,” the club said. The Cody-based club estimates that it’s provided eye screenings, glasses and surgical procedures at no cost to hundreds of families across the Big Horn Basin.

Cody Lions member Gil Guilman came up with the idea of the Lions Coin Banks. The club believes they’re the first of their kind — and hope the program spreads across the globe.

In Park County, residents can find the coin banks at Blair’s Super Market in Powell and the Irma Hotel, Albertsons, Millstone Pizza Company & Brewery, Yellowstone Regional Airport and the Good 2 Go convenience stores in Cody.