Somerset County Still Collecting ‘Cell Phones for Soldiers’

Residents can donate used cell phones to the local arm of the Cell Phones for Soldiers campaign.

Drop off-boxes are located at:

Anyone who cannot get to one of the drop-off locations may call the Surrogate’s Office and request a postage-free envelope to send in their phones.  The number to call is (908) 231-7003.

Since March, Surrogate Bruno and Rolling Hills Girl Scout Troop 811 have collected close to 1,000 phones.

“This accomplishes two tasks: preventing material from going into our landfills, and with each phone collected, supplying those soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq with a calling card to talk to their families back home for free,” Surrogate Bruno said.  Some military families’ cell phone bills are averaging $1,500 a month, he said.

 “It is not enough to honor our soldiers on Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day, we should honor their sacrifices every day, with our words and deeds,” he said.  “This is one way of expressing our appreciation for their sacrifice to our neighbors, our county and our country.”

            And the gesture is widely appreciated by soldiers serving overseas.

"During my yearlong deployment to Iraq, my morale was always highest whenever I got the opportunity to telephone my wife and children back home in New Jersey,” said Vince Micco, New Jersey state captain of Vets for Freedom.  “Free calling cards are a great blessing to our troops serving in the combat zone.  Somerset County Surrogate Frank Bruno and the local Girl Scouts provide an extraordinary service to our troops and their families through their Cell Phones for Soldiers program.  On behalf of grateful Iraq War veterans, I salute you for your hard work and devotion."