'Hope' phones

PUTNAM — Recently members of the Putnam Leo Club collected 100 phones in their second annual “Cell Phone Recycle Campaign” for Hope Phones, a used cell phone drive that connects underserved communities with mobile communication.  A small monetary contribution was also received.

Leo Club president Mikayla Van Dam said, “The collection drive has been a hit with the community. We have received more phones than last year and we plan to continue this project next year. Hopefully the numbers will only rise in the upcoming years. I know it is very easy for people now to receive money back from their phones … but knowing that because of your contribution more people are getting access to better health care is much more rewarding than a couple of extra dollars in [your] pocket.”

The phones are packaged and shipped to HOPE in Texas for recycling, where, according to Van Dam, they will be refurbished, wiped clean of memory and distributed to those in need.”