In the wake of recent thefts, the Raymond Lions Club wants people to keep a watchful eye on their bottle redemption bins.

According to Bob Jones, secretary of the club, hundreds of dollars of redeemable cans and bottles have been stolen from the club’s two donation bins located on Route 302 near Jordan Bay Animal Hospital and at the town office on Route 85.

“The bulk of the theft is occurring at the town hall. People drop more bottles at the town hall in the winter. It’s a quieter location than the Route 302 bin, so it’s an easier target,” Jones said.

While it’s common for people to drop off bags full of cans, Jones wants passersby to take notice when people remove cans from the bins. He said Lions club members usually wear yellow Lions Club vests while removing cans from the bins. If they don’t have the yellow vest, Jones advises passersby to call police.

“We’re looking for more awareness on the part of Raymond residents and people driving through Raymond,” Jones said. “They don’t have to confront anyone. Just get the license plate and call 911. I’d rather we have a bunch of false alarms than let another thief get away with stealing these bottles.”

Unfortunately, said Jones, the current round of bottle theft is nothing new. Jones said the club has had several bottle bandits helping themselves to the mound of 5-cent returnables. In the last three years, Jones said police have arrested five people stealing bottles out of the bins. One arrest was of an elderly couple who Jones described as “down on their luck.”

“But what these people don’t realize is who they are stealing from,” Jones said. “They’re stealing from the people we help with the money we receive from the bottles. They’re not stealing from us; they’re stealing from the people we help.”

The Raymond Lions Club, which meets every other Thursday at the Raymond Public Safety Building, focuses on sight conservation. During pre-kindergarten registration at local schools each May, club members perform lazy eye screenings. The club bought a $3,000 camera to check for monocular blindness. Lazy eye is a precursor, Jones said, to monocular blindness.

The club also helps people afford eyeglasses and hearing aids. And since diabetes is one of the leading sources of blindness, especially in developing countries, the club has in recent years taken on diabetes education as a cause.

In the last four years, the club has given local students entering college or technical school about $8,000 in scholarships. The money to fund the scholarships and other work of the club comes from the two bottle collection sites and revenue from a golf tournament in June.

“Half of the money from these two sites goes to scholarships. We’re talking a couple thousand dollars a year. It’s a lot of money but we’re relying on the good will of those who donate the cans,” Jones said. “It seems a shame there are some people out there who take advantage of the system.”