LOCK HAVEN - Two local funeral homes are doing their part to help more than 150,000 soldiers serving overseas and away from keep in contact with their families.
Cell Phones For Soldiers has established Helt Funeral Chapel, 232 Hogan Blvd., Mill Hall, and Maxwell Funeral Home, 205 5th St., Renovo, as official collection sites.
"Cell Phones for Soldiers hopes to collect over 50,000 cell phones this year to help keep troops connected with their families," said David Halpate, funeral director and manager, Maxwell Funeral Home.
Used cell phones are recycled for cash and the proceeds are used to buy prepaid calling cards for our soldiers serving in the Middle East.
Cell Phones For Soldiers is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and has raised almost $1 million in donations and distributed more than 500,000 prepaid calling cards to soldiers serving overseas.
The goal is to provide every U.S. soldier with a way to call home for free.
Donated phones are sent to ReCellular, which pays Cell Phones for Soldiers for each phone, enough to provide an hour of talk time to soldiers abroad.
Approximately half of the phones processed are reconditioned and resold to wholesale companies in over 40 countries around the world. Phones and components that cannot be refurbished are dismantled and recycled to reclaim materials, including gold, silver and platinum from circuit boards; cpper wiring from phone chargers; nickel, iron, cadmium and lead from battery packs, and plastic from phone cases and accessories
"This program is good for our soldiers and good for our environment," said Ben Blascovich, funeral director and manager of Helt Funeral Chapel.
For more information call Blascovich at 748-2722 or Halpate at 923-0228.
