Donate your used cell phone for hurricane victims.

[WtchyChick13]

http://www.phones4life.com/ (http://www.phones4life.com/)

This group was just on the news and they are taking donations of used cell phones and reprogramming them with emergency numbers for those who have no means of communication because of the hurricane.

[bbnflpn]

sounds like a good idea, i have 2 phones that i could donate. but they dont have any drop offs any where near me. only one in ca all together mostly they are on the east coast (i guess they would beable to get there sooner)

[Childof_theMorrigan]

i've been waiting for a good cause to donate my old phone.... i'll have to send it though cuz there's no drop off near here

[donatello51]

There is no electricity in the disaster area. No cell towers standing. No telecom transfer centers. No people to operate them. No way to distribute them to anyone. Your old cell number you gave to Aunt Maud is not going to work for a long time. Why not send money to charity of your choice and do the right thing? Donating food... cell phones... clothes... dishes... can food... a box of cheetos is NOT going to help. Its going to go nowhere and help no one. SEND MONEY! Donate blood to a blood bank. Please think rationally and not in an emotional panic. I see this all the time. THINK people THINK!! Money to the rescue folks. Money to charities. Volunteer to join the rescuers. But think about what your doing before you make things worst or create a bigger problem then your trying to solve. I know you mean well by your send your old cell phone to someone in need plea. BUT your not helping. Think before you act.

[Agaliha]

It sounds like a great idea, but I'm not sure how in the long run it would help. I mean there is no electricity and cell phones don't last forever, especially if people are on them a lot trying to get though. My cell phone, if I talk on it for about 2 hours and mess around with it needs to be charged. I don't even know if those who have car changers can use them. How are they doing to charge them? And they can't even call 911 as the servers are down. It would be a one shot deal...

IMO, cell phones may not really work there. If I had an old cell phone I would donate it to abused women-- they have a whole buch of groups for that sort of thing. And as long as they keep it charged they can call 911 (even with out a service plan), which comes in handy for domestic voilence situations. That makes more sense to me and will actually help people.
Here's a site for just that, please consider this instead. Donate a Phone (http://www.wirelessfoundation.org/index.cfm)

Here's a new article about programs like that: Unwanted cell phones can help domestic violence victims (http://www.thedailytimes.com/sited/story/html/40756)

[atropa]

There is no electricity in the disaster area. No cell towers standing. No telecom transfer centers. No people to operate them. No way to distribute them to anyone. Your old cell number you gave to Aunt Maud is not going to work for a long time. Why not send money to charity of your choice and do the right thing? Donating food... cell phones... clothes... dishes... can food... a box of cheetos is NOT going to help. Its going to go nowhere and help no one. SEND MONEY! Donate blood to a blood bank. Please think rationally and not in an emotional panic. I see this all the time. THINK people THINK!! Money to the rescue folks. Money to charities. Volunteer to join the rescuers. But think about what your doing before you make things worst or create a bigger problem then your trying to solve. I know you mean well by your send your old cell phone to someone in need plea. BUT your not helping. Think before you act.

Unfortunately I don't have any money to send, but I did donate some canned goods and clothing to a local church who is full to capacity with refugees right now. I'm trying to find out if they'll let me donate blood since I am pregnant (they couldn't tell me when I called earlier). I don't see why they wouldn't though. The whole being pregnant thing and having a toddler to take care of kinda makes it hard to jump on the next train to LA to help too... Not everyone can send cash. I'd like to think I am doing something useful though. And I am thinking. Alot.

[Agaliha]

My mother brought up a GREAT idea. Send a calling card instead! because when they are able to get access to a phone they can call for free. They send calling cards to soldiers in Iraq.

[narleymarley03]

There's a company www.recyclefirst.com (www.recyclefirst.com) . You can set up an account and they will send you free of charge mailing bags and collection boxes if you need them. You decide who you want the refund sent to (yourself or a charity). They take the really old phones that no one else will take and also empty ink cartridges.
There is another company www.cashmyphone (www.cashmyphone) . They pay pretty well for newer phones. You have to look up your phone on the site and it will give you a quote. Then it gives you instructions. As far as I know they only send the refund to you.

[Amethyst Rose]

I would, but I donated my cell phone to help victims of domestic violence, and women's shelters in Canada. :)

[Agaliha]

I would, but I donated my cell phone to help victims of domestic violence, and women's shelters in Canada. :)

That's what I was mentioning! :)

[Shanti]

I dont have a used cell phone.

[TaysatWesir]

I don’t have a cell phone but donating phone cards is a good idea. ;)

[WtchyChick13]

There is no electricity in the disaster area. No cell towers standing. No telecom transfer centers. No people to operate them. No way to distribute them to anyone. Your old cell number you gave to Aunt Maud is not going to work for a long time. Why not send money to charity of your choice and do the right thing? Donating food... cell phones... clothes... dishes... can food... a box of cheetos is NOT going to help. Its going to go nowhere and help no one. SEND MONEY! Donate blood to a blood bank. Please think rationally and not in an emotional panic. I see this all the time. THINK people THINK!! Money to the rescue folks. Money to charities. Volunteer to join the rescuers. But think about what your doing before you make things worst or create a bigger problem then your trying to solve. I know you mean well by your send your old cell phone to someone in need plea. BUT your not helping. Think before you act.


EXCUSE ME??????????

One of the reasons why I posted this is because for those who are evacuating to other areas that need to get in touch with family or friends for places to stay, they need these phones. They are being taken to areas (such as Houston) where the cell towers ARE functioning. So instead of berating us for trying to find some way to help, why not take your frustration out someplace else.

Money is being raised by many, MANY organizations but other items are needed NOW. And NOT just by the survivors but by the rescue workers as well. They are trying so hard to get their communication systems up and running so that the different agencies can communicate with each other and maybe the cell phones donated can help.

So in answer to your post--YES I AM THINKING!

[Amethyst Rose]

Not to mention....if the cell phone donation sites work anything like the domestic violence one that I donated to..... a lot of the phones are sold or broken down for parts and sold for parts, and that money is donated. So, they ARE sending money, not phones.

[narleymarley03]

There will be phone banks at the astrodome for people to make calls. We had a phone bank here after hurricaine "Isabel".

[WtchyChick13]

The Astrodome is now turning away refugees...there's just no more room. :(

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/09/02/katrina.impact/index.html (http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/09/02/katrina.impact/index.html)