How Your Old Cell Phone Can Help Someone Serving Our Country
Get Rid of Those Old Phones and Put Them to Good Use
If you're like me, you probably have at least one old cell phone tucked away in a junk drawer somewhere. Maybe it's one phone. Maybe it's five or ten, depending on how often you upgrade. You keep telling yourself you'll get rid of them, but somehow they just keep piling up.
Well, here's a good reason to finally clean out that drawer. Those old phones could help military members stay connected with their families back home.
State Senator Joseph Griffo teamed up with the Central New York Veterans Outreach Center for another Cell Phones For Soldiers collection.
Give Those Old Phones a New Purpose
The Cell Phones For Soldiers program collects unwanted cell phones and tablets and puts them to good use.
For every donated device, the program can provide 2.5 hours of free talk time to military members serving away from home.
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Some of the donated phones are also refurbished and provided to veterans who need them, complete with unlimited talk and text.
Drop-off Locations
Jervis Public Library: 613 N. Washington St., Rome
Central New York Veterans Outreach Center: 726 Washington St., Utica
Chanatry’s Hometown Market: 485 French Road, Utica
Utica State Office Building: 207 Genesee St., Utica
New Hartford Public Library: 2 Library Lane, New Hartford
Oneida Public Library: 459 Main St., Oneida
Sullivan Free Library, 101 Falls Blvd, Chittenango
West Winfield Library: 179 South St., West Winfield
Sherburne Public Library: 2 E State St., Sherburne
Madison County Distillery, 2412 Rt 20, Cazenovia
Time to Clean Out That Drawer!
The Cell Phones For Soldiers program was started in 2004 by siblings Robbie and Brittany Bergquist, who were just 12 and 13 years old at the time.
Their goal was to help military members stay connected with loved ones while serving our country.
So, the next time you upgrade your phone, don't just toss the old one in a drawer and forget about it. And if you've already got a collection of them hiding somewhere, this is a good reminder that they can still do some good.
Just remember to remove your SIM card, erase your personal information, and restore the device to factory settings before donating it.
One less thing taking up space in the junk drawer, and a chance to help someone serving our country. That's a pretty good trade!
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Gallery Credit: Credit - Polly McAdams