Looking for a good cause to donate her old cell phone to, Shannon Sprague stumbled upon an organization that recycles used cellular devices in return for talk time for soldiers stationed overseas.

Inspired, Sprague has worked with local librarians to set up a collection point for old cell phones at the Pelham Public Library for Cell Phones for Soldiers, an organization started by two teenagers in Norwell, Mass. So far, the response from the community has been “phenomenal,” she said.

“I had an old cell phone; I had just got a new phone this year and I had heard rumblings about there being a place you could donate old cell phones to that cause,” Sprague said. “I sent out an e-mail asking all of the friends and family that I know to donate. (A librarian) sent me an e-mail back saying ‘I have a couple of phones I’d like to donate. Why not ask the library if they’d be willing to have a box there and make a collection site?’”

The phones donated to Cell Phones for Soldiers are sent to ReCellular, a Michigan-based company that refurbishes, recycles and reuses the electronic devices. ReCellular repays the organization with enough money to provide about an hour of talk time for servicemen and women stationed overseas.

“I know first hand what its like to be far away in a foreign country, thousands of miles away from your family,” said Sue Hoadley, director of the Pelham Public library and an Army veteran. “Every little bit of mail or messages just means an awful lot. I was in a long, long time ago, before there was e-mail. I was stationed in Germany for about a year and I went to the mailbox every day, eagerly looking for a card from somebody.”

After organizing a cell phone drop box at the front desk of the Pelham library, Hoadley reached out to other town offices, as well, to help out and pitch in their own used cell phones. In response, a second location has been set up at the town’s transfer station where, according to Hoadley, discarded cell phones are turned in as waste on a regular basis.

With a brother who has been deployed with the Air Force in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and currently stationed in Texas, Hoadley said she understood first hand the perspective of someone waiting at home and trying to get in contact with a loved one.

“It’s just, you worry about him. He’s in Texas right now and I still worry about him because he’s so far away,” she said. “I think back to even much less hazardous times when I was just in basic training and we had the opportunity – they finally said we could get some packages – and my mother sent me chocolate chip cookies .... When your whole life is changed by being far away from everything you know, sometimes just something that simple is a real connection and a reminder of good times and being with family and friends.”

The library will continue to accept the cell phones until the number of donations starts to taper off, according to Hoadley and Sprague. They hope to continue to accept donations throughout the holiday season.

Sprague, founder and owner of Valley View Wellness Coaching, said the charitable organization had given her the opportunity to reach out and thank the community, as well as help those serving in harm’s way. Those interested in getting involved can reach her at 845-3625.

“I wanted to just do something,” she said. "I’m very passionate about the military and veterans and I really wanted to do something for them. This is more than I could ever dream.”