St. Joseph Lions Club kicks off annual fruit sale to support local charities
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV)-- The St. Joseph Host Lions Club brings in fresh fruit from Florida annually, and sells it locally—a longtime tradition that helps them serve the community and raise funds for local charities and organizations.
Second Vice President Jaymon Meikle said the club focuses much of its support on smaller groups, especially those working with vision impairment and eye-health needs.
“We hope that we will be able to raise enough funds that we can help some of the different organizations to further benefit the community,” Meikle said.
Meikle said his passion for service comes from growing up in a family who volunteered often, and he wanted to continue giving back after moving to St. Joseph.
Each December, the club offers fruit baskets as both a service to the community and a holiday gift option.
“I think people feel a little tight right now with, for different reasons, especially Christmas...This will help us support those organizations that could really use that extra help right now,” Meikle said.
Former Club Vice President Roger Unruh said giving back is at the heart of everything the Lions Club does.
Unruh said the fruit sale operates just like any other retail setup—anyone can stop by and pick up fresh, high-quality fruit at a fair price, according to him.
“We have good prices, but we have better fruit. Our fruit is the fanciest fruit that you can buy. And so that's what we sell on is, is the fancy fruit. And we have the oranges, the grapefruit, three different types of apples,” Unruh said.
Unruh said fundraising throughout the year helps the club provide services such as ensuring people receive eyeglasses on time, offering assistance through various programs and sponsoring educational scholarships for students.
“We have fundraisers three times a year, once a pancake feed. And that is coming up in the spring. Of course, the fruit sale is one of our bigger ones. And we also do a drive for all of the scholarships that we give away,” Unruh said.
The fruit stand is open to the community from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Dec. 21.
More information about the services they provide can be found through Lions Club International.
