Help someone in need: Donate old cell phones
Can you hear me now? No. For many cell phones that suffer from being broken, old, or replaced there is now a place that they can go to serve mankind in a new way.
The Community Abuse Prevention Services Agency is gathering cell phones to turn them in for cash. The money raised will go toward helping victims of rape, assault and domestic violence.
“There is an organization called Shelter Alliance out there that helps shelters raise money,” said Pam Allen, executive director of CAPSA. “We collect the cell phones and they give us a credit of $3.50 to $10 for each phone. They actually pay for the postage and then they send us a check. This last batch, we averaged $5 a phone.”
The project has been going on for about a year now according to Allen and has been recently taken over by a group from the management human resources 3110 class.
“We wanted to do something for the community that would be longer-lasting,” said Shayne Howell, a member of the MHR 3110 group.
Howell, a junior majoring in finance economics, said, “I contacted CAPSA and this was one of the projects that they wanted to do, but didn’t have the manpower.”
Once the phones reach Shelter Alliance they are disassembled and sold for parts. This is why the phones don’t need to be working or brand new.
“The company ranks the phones depending on the phone and the condition, and they salvage the parts,” Howell said.
CAPSA is trying to collect as many phones as possible. In fact, the donations will not end when the class does. Allen said the group is hoping that companies will allow them to keep the donation boxes out as long as possible.
“We are trying to collect as many as we can get,” Allen said. “We have been doing this for about a year. We have probably earned close to $2,000, and that’s not counting this project that Shane and them have just started.”
CAPSA found out about Shelter Alliance through the mail. The alliance sent them information about the fundraiser.
“There was some information sent out in the mail to us, and we looked at it and thought that it would be a good idea,” Allen said.
Once the alliance has sold the phones for parts, they send CAPSA a check from the profits. CAPSA then uses the money to purchase items that are needed in the shelter.
“We put the money into the general funds. And we use it for whatever the case may be that we are needing money for at the moment,” Allen said. “We always need money for paper products over at the shelter, such as paper towels, diapers and sanitary items. We provide everything for the people at the shelter.”
CAPSA is an organization that assists victims of sexual assault, rape, and domestic violence, Allen said. They assist residents in Cache and Rich counties.
“Last year, we sheltered around 257 people. Out of those people, one was male, 157 were children, and 96 were women,” Allen said. “We also dealt with 112 rape clients, then we had a couple thousand out of shelter clients last year.”
The donations of the phones will allow CAPSA to fund the assistance of people in two countries. Few restrictions exist for which phones can be donated.
“I would really like for [people] to know that everything we do is confidential,” Allen said. “We assist both men and women. If they want to call for a friend, we will send information to the caller. They can call us and we can send them brochures that will help answer their questions. They should never feel afraid to help a friend. Everything behind these walls is confidential.”
There are donation boxes located in the on-campus housing offices and throughout the campus. For questions about donations or for other locations of donation boxes call 753-2500.
-rbarlow@cc.usu.edu