Cell Phones for Soldiers in Vernon Hills

The Vernon Hills police station, village hall and public works facility are drop-off locations for Cell Phones for Soldiers, a nonprofit organization that sells old and unwanted cellphones to a recycler, then used the money to buy prepaid calling cards for members of the military serving overseas.

Each donated device will provide troops with an estimated 2.5 hours of free talk time. In addition to calling cards, the organization also is sending video phones to units in the Middle East and to their home base as well, so families are able to see each other as they talk. The phone and service are provided free to service people and their families.

Items accepted include cellphones, MP3 players, tablets, chargers, batteries, accessories, Blackberry pdas and pagers. For your protection, restore your phone to the factory setting and remove SIM and SD cards before making a donation.