Celebrate Veterans Day by donating cellphones

The nonprofit Cell Phones for Soldiers Inc. is asking Alaskans to help commemorate Veterans Day by donating gently used cellular phones at any Wells Fargo store in Alaska.

By donating to Cell Phones for Soldiers, Alaskans can provide troops with that precious connection to loved ones back home.

Wells Fargo is celebrating Veterans Day with in-store military appreciation events and a business clothing drive for Airmen’s Attic to provide dress clothes for service members to attend formal events.

Donated phones are sent to Michigan-based ReCellular for recycling. For every donated phone valued at $5, Cell Phones for Soldiers is able to provide two and a half hours of free talk time to deployed troops. About half of the phones ReCellular processes are reconditioned and reused.

Materials from cellphones that can be reclaimed or recycled include gold, silver and platinum, copper, nickel, iron, cadmium, lead and plastic.

Beginning in 2012, Helping Heroes Home will provide emergency funds for returning veterans to alleviate communication challenges as well as physical, emotional and assimilation hardships.

For more information, visit cellphonesforsoldiers.com or helpingheroeshome.org.