Members of the Prior Lake Lions Club have been involved with numerous community service projects throughout the month of December.

The month kicked off with the club’s annual “Breakfast With Santa” event on Dec. 7 held at the Prior Lake VFW Club. Approximately 200 people were served a pancake breakfast while children had the opportunity to visit with Santa. The local Girl Scout troop that is sponsored by the club helped with the event.

The following day, on Dec. 8, Lions Club members hosted well over 100 local seniors during its annual lunch, also held at the VFW Club. A hot meal was enjoyed by all who attended, and numerous door prizes were awarded throughout the lunch.

The club continued to assist with vision screenings throughout the Prior Lake-Savage Area School District. Elementary school screenings were finished up earlier in December. Students attending St. Paul’s Lutheran School and Aspen Academy are scheduled to be screened in January.

Vision health is a core mission of the local club, and its parent organization, Lions Clubs International. “Kidsight” is one of the vision programs promoted by Lions. Local clubs collect eyeglasses from the local community served and then sent to foreign countries for use by those in need.

The club’s largest initiative for the month was its distribution of Cub Foods gift cards. Representatives of the Prior Lake club worked with the social workers and principals at local schools to determine families who may be in need of assistance during the holiday season. All recipients remained anonymous.

The need was greater this year than in other years, according to club leaders. Prior Lake Lions purchased $18,000 in gift cards and Cub Foods donated an additional $1,000 in cards, which were distributed to nearly 250 local families.