I’m Kayla, and I hate junk drawers. Mine had four old phones, six tangled chargers, and a little guilt. You know what? I finally did something about it. I sent two of those phones to Cell Phones For Soldiers. Here’s what happened, the good and the not so good. If you’d like the blow-by-blow version with extra photos and specs, check out the detailed teardown I posted on Hack That Phone.
Quick note: What this thing does
The group takes used phones and gear. They recycle or resell them. The money helps give talk time and data to troops and vets. Think calling cards, but modern. Simple idea, big heart.
Why I tried it
My cousin was deployed last year. Calls home were short and rare. When I heard about this program, it felt like a no-brainer. I don’t fix policy. But I can help someone hear a voice they love. That counts. For remote posts where cell towers are nonexistent, units sometimes rely on sat-com gear; if you’re curious about that tech rabbit hole, here’s my real-world take on how satellite phones actually work.
And for service members, veterans, or anyone in the LGBTQ+ community who just needs a friendly place to talk when a traditional call isn’t possible, dropping into the free B-Gay Chat rooms can hook you up with real people for supportive text, voice, or video conversations 24/7 at zero cost.
My first drop: one cracked iPhone 8
- I backed it up, then wiped it. On iPhone, I went to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. I also signed out of iCloud. No drama.
- I popped out the SIM with a paperclip. Tossed the old case. Kept the charger.
- I printed a prepaid label from their site. I used a small box, bubble wrap, and too much tape. Classic me.
- I dropped it at the post office on a Tuesday. I got a thank-you email the next week.
Did I know exactly who got help from that phone? No. And that bugged me a little. I like seeing the line from A to B. But later, my cousin told me he used minutes from a unit stash to call on a Sunday. He heard his daughter count to ten. The call wasn’t long, but man, it landed. That felt real enough.
Round two: a beat-up Samsung and a school drive
A month later, our PTA did a small phone drive. We used a shoe box and a Sharpie sign. Parents tossed in three phones, some chargers, even a tablet that had seen better days. I added my old Samsung Galaxy S9 with a spiderweb screen.
- I did a factory reset: Settings > General management > Reset > Factory data reset.
- I signed out of Google. I removed the SD card. Easy.
- We packed the box with bubble wrap and listed the items inside on a sticky note.
- We shipped as one bundle. Got a confirmation email a week later.
It felt like cleaning the garage, but with purpose. Less clutter, more good. I’ll take that trade.
The parts I loved
- Easy ship: The label and packing steps were clear. No mystery.
- They take rough phones: Cracked screens were fine. Not every place says yes to that.
- Real help: Calls home matter. I saw what a few minutes can do.
- Green angle: Old phones didn’t sit in a drawer or hit a landfill.
The parts that bugged me
- Tracking impact: I didn’t get a note that said “Your phone paid for X minutes.” I wanted that.
- Waiting game: The thank-you email took a few days. I’m patient… kind of.
- Battery issues: One phone had a swollen battery. That’s a no-go for the mail. I had to take it to a local e-waste spot first. Not hard, but still an extra errand.
- Data wipe stress: I know my way around settings, but my neighbor didn’t. I spent 10 minutes showing her how to erase and sign out. A quick, plain checklist helped. If you’re thinking about “ghost” or burner devices instead of donating, I’ve logged my wins and fails in my experiments with so-called ghost phones.
For anyone nervous about securely wiping a device, the step-by-step tutorials on Hack That Phone walk you through the process with clear screenshots. You can also follow the straightforward Webroot guide on how to wipe your device before donating it to double-check that every scrap of personal data is gone.
Small tips from my kitchen table
- Always sign out of iCloud or Google. Then factory reset.
- Pull the SIM and any SD card. Check the tray twice.
- Bubble wrap is your friend. So is strong tape.
- Don’t ship swollen batteries. Take those to an e-waste center.
- Add chargers if you can. They reuse or recycle them too.
- If you run a drive, keep it simple. A box, a sign, a reminder in the school newsletter. Done.
A tiny digression about timing
Post-holiday season is perfect. Folks upgrade phones. Old ones pile up. Spring cleaning works, too. I tossed mine while swapping winter coats for rain jackets. Moment of truth: if it’s been dead in a drawer for two years, it’s ready to go.
Who this is good for
- Families with a military tie who want a direct, kind way to help
- Schools, gyms, and offices with a lot of old tech sitting around
- Anyone who likes clean counters and less e-waste
Who might skip it
- People who want a cash payout for their phone
- Folks who need detailed impact tracking for each device
- Anyone with zero time for packing and shipping (though it’s pretty quick)
If your main goal is turning a used phone into quick cash rather than donating it, checking the local classifieds scene can be a faster route. In the Rockville area, you can list a handset on Bedpage Rockville where nearby buyers browse daily postings, letting you meet up, hand over the device in person, and pocket the money without waiting for shipping or confirmation emails.
My verdict
It’s not perfect. I wanted tighter feedback and faster emails. But the heart of it? Strong. It turned two dusty phones into time on a line between people who miss each other. That’s worth my effort and a roll of tape.
Would I do it again? Yep. I’ve got a charger nest ready for the next box. And honestly, hearing my cousin laugh on a scratchy call made the whole thing feel bigger than a clean drawer. It felt like care, wrapped in bubble wrap, sent with a stamp.