The American Red Cross Blood Services, Northern New England Region invites blood donors to do two good deeds at once this fall. The Red Cross is joining ReCellular, Inc. to provide our troops with international calling cards through the Cell Phones For Soldiers program.

Volunteer blood donors can drop off their used cell phones at their local American Red Cross Donor Center or at selected Red Cross blood drives between Veterans Day and New Year’s Eve when they come to donate blood.

The Cell Phones For Soldiers program collects used cell phones and cell accessories of any make and model. The phones are then purchased by ReCellular, Inc. for reuse or recycling. Each donated phone has enough value to purchase one international phone card with sixty minutes of calling time. ReCellular, Inc. provides 8300 calling cards per week through this nationwide initative.

Blood donors continue to be needed at this time and throughout the holiday period. Encouraging the recycling of used cell phones and accessories for this purpose helps our troops keep in contact with home and also helps the environment. Everyone wins, including the patients who depend on blood during the holiday season.

Cell Phones For Soldiers was founded by teenagers Robbie and Brittany Bergquist of Norwell, Massachusetts. To date, the program has raised almost one million dollars in donations and has distributed more than 500,000 prepaid calling cards to soldiers serving overseas. More information is available at cellphonesforsoldiers.com.

For more information, call the American Red Cross at 1-800-GIVE-LIFE.

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