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Outlaw Realty is once again teaming up with Cell Phones for Soldiers this holiday season to help provide phones for American troops serving overseas.

Outlaw Realty is asking Covington County residents to help troops call home by donating gently-used cell phones.

Although the military landscape is ever-changing, as many as 200,000 troops are serving in the United States military overseas around the world.

By donating to the cause, local residents can provide a lifeline to America’s bravest.

Locals may donate at Outlaw Realty on East Three Notch Street.

Cell Phones For Soldiers was founded in 2004 by teenagers Robbie and Brittany Bergquist at the ages of 12 and 13. The charity has since provided more than 300 million minutes of free talk time to servicemen and women stationed around the world through its calling card program, Minutes That Matter. Funds raised from the recycling of cellular phones are used to purchase prepaid international calling cards. On average, Cell Phones For Soldiers distributes 1,500 calling cards each week to bases around the world, care package programs, deployment ceremonies and VA hospitals.

“Each year we have been humbled by the amount of people and organizations like Outlaw Realty that take the initiative to support our military members,” said co-founder Robbie Bergquist. “The communication gap between military members actively serving and their families is a crucial need that Cell Phones For Soldiers is committed to addressing for years to come.”

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.

Since 2004, more than 15 million phones have been recycled or repurposed. Approximately half of the phones processed are reconditioned and reused. Phones and components that cannot be refurbished are dismantled and responsibly recycled to reclaim materials, including:

Gold, silver and platinum from circuit boards

Copper wiring from phone chargers

Nickel, iron, cadmium and lead from battery packs

For more info, call 582-1300.