Displaced Israelis receive eyeglasses with help from the Santa Barbara Eyeglass Factory

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - An effort to help Israelis who have left their homes in the ongoing war has been bolstered by a Santa Barbara businessman.

Rick Feldman is the owner of the Santa Barbara Eyeglass Factory. He decided to leave his home right when the war began, and fly to Tel Aviv.

Some loose connections were in place, but he firmed them up when he arrived with a goal to immediately help those who did not have what they needed for vision assistance.

Feldman worked with a local businessman, and those connected with an optometrist to get eye checkups and prescriptions. Then glasses were made and distributed, mainly for children. Those kids either lost their glasses, or they possibly broke or had other needs.

The Santa Barbara Eyeglass Factory is in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. For years it has had a program to provide free glasses for kids 18 and younger who come in with their parents and a prescription.

Back in Santa Barbara County, Feldman says he is working with a team in Israel to continue to help. He is asking for a picture of a child in need, and their prescription. From that information, the Eyeglass Factory with make a pair of glasses in frames they have readily available, and send it back to the child.

Felman said, "it's just  a deep feeling because whatever your feelings are about humanity and people's needs, this was clear and that was a present need from all the people concerned."

Feldman said while he was in his hotel in Tel Aviv, there were some close calls. "When those rockets go off  above it's ka boom! It's really loud then  you do  hear the tinkle, tinkle, tinkle  of the fragments hitting the ground."

For more information, contact the Santa Barbara Eyeglass Factory.