The Dunkirk & Fredonia Lions Club has raised and donated more than $9,000 to area activities.

Its two main fundraising activities are the Dunkirk & Fredonia Lions Club Fair Stand at the Chautauqua County Fair and two White Cane Drives in May and October.

The Lions Club Fair Stand is located on the west side of the grandstand and serves a variety of typical fair foods from hamburgers, hotdogs and french fries to local favorites such as “The Walking Taco,” roast beef on Kummelweck rolls, the Lion Burger and fried bologna.

The Dunkirk & Fredonia Lions Club has 34 members and they volunteer to raise donations sponsoring the White Cane Drive and the fair stand to support community outreach.

During the course of the year the money raised funds with Breakfast with Santa, the Winter Jacket Drive, books and pillowcases for outreach organizations, purchase of eyeglasses and hearing aids.

During the past year, it awarded six $500 scholarships to local seniors – two of these seniors were totally blind. It also funds a loan closet with wheelchairs, port-a-toilets, walkers, canes, etc. to anyone in need – free of charge.

It also supports Meals on Wheels, the Dunkirk Free Library, Lions Seek programs, Guiding Dogs, Camp Good Days, Camp Gross, Dunkirk Little League, Fredonia Opera House, Brandel-Murphy Foundation, Chautauqua Blind Association, Ira G. Ross Eye Institute, and smoke alarms for local homes and apartments.

It also donates to the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, Darwin Barker Library, Chautauqua County Adult Day Care, Literacy Volunteers and the Dunkirk Joint Veterans Council, just to name a few. Volunteers also do vision screening for children from the ages to 8 months to kindergarten in order to diagnose children’s eye problems in local schools in Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties.

With support at the Dunkirk & Fredonia Lions Club Fair Stand, it hopes to give back to the community even more.

Stop by, buy some food and perhaps ask to become a member.

If you are interested in becoming a member, contact either Lion Tom Panasci at 679-4978 or Lion Virginia Harper at 672-4045.