A donation box for eyeglasses at a department store was seen filled with coins and bills instead of eyewear.
On Tuesday, September 2, a Reddit user posted a photo showing a donation box labeled for “usable eyeglasses” that had been filled with money rather than actual glasses.
“Donate your usable eyeglasses and help someone see better,” a text in the donation box reads.
The Redditor wondered whether the act of donating money instead of eyeglasses was a case of “Pinoy reading comprehension” or simply people showing “kindness” in response to the post.
“Saw this donation box at a mall. The sign clearly says it’s for usable eyeglasses… but people have been dropping coins and bills instead,” the uploader wrote on the “r/Philippines” community with a laughing emoji.
“Either we really don’t read signs, or we’re just finding another way to help. At the end of the day, the message still stands, kindness matters,” the Reddit user added.
Poor reading comprehension or just Pinoy kindness?
byu/Govzillla inPhilippines
Others pointed out that the design of the donation box should be reviewed, rather than placing the blame on people’s “reading comprehension.”
“May problem din kasi design nung banner nila. Considering na nasa public place like a mall or something, dapat ‘yung messaging is designed for ‘passing glances.’ You can’t expect people in public places [or] malls to stop and comprehend this since they have things to do and places to be,” a Redditor, who described herself as a “marketing gal,” said.
“Hindi rin kasi na-follow ‘yung basic visual hierarchy sa design: biggest font should be for the main message. Instead na ‘yung ‘kindness matters’ ang pinakamalaki, dapat something like ‘donate your eyeglasses,'” she added.
“That way, na-communicate mo ‘yung call to action right away instead of using ambiguous statements like ‘kindness matters’ na pwedeng ma-intepret in different ways. Always, clarity beats clever pagdating sa kahit anong form of marketing,” the user said.
“I think this is a design problem. Bukod sa mismong design ng banner [or] logo, bakit ganun ‘yung box. Like, kung ako, hindi ko binasa ‘yung message at pinahulaan sa akin kung para saan ang box, hindi ko iisiping para sa eyeglasses ‘yan kasi, hindi ba may possibility na masira or magasgas ang eyeglasses kapag ihuhulog sa ganyan?” another Redditor said.
Meanwhile, the donation box is part of the “Lions Recycle for Sight” initiative.
The program is run by Lions Clubs International, a global service organization involved in various community projects, such as donating to hospices and organizing public awareness campaigns.
Through Lions Recycle for Sight, the organization collects reusable eyeglasses from communities and donates them to low- and middle-income countries where access to basic eye care services is limited.
