The annual Cell Phones for Soldiers collection drive is underway at three locations in St. Lawrence County.

People in St. Lawrence County may drop off phones at Sergi’s Italian Restaurant, 10 Market St., Potsdam, the Town of Potsdam Offices, 18 Elm St., and the Massena Public Library: 41 Glenn St., and at AT&T stores in Ogdensburg, Massena and Potsdam.

For every donated phone valued at $5, Cell Phones For Soldiers is able to provide 2 ½ hours of free talk time to deployed troops via calling cards. All proceeds from the recycled devices will be used to buy long distance calling cards for troops at home and abroad.

The collection drive runs through Sunday, Dec. 9. This is the fifth year that the drive has taken place.

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. Since 2004, Cell Phones For Soldiers has provided U.S. troops with more than 300 million “Minutes That Matter” and distributed more than 5 million prepaid international calling cards and have recycled more than 15 million mobile devices, reducing the impact on landfills. Approximately half of the phones processed are reconditioned and reused, while the those that can’t be are dismantled for to reclaim materials and the funds raised from this process are used to purchase calling cards.

To prepare your mobile phone for donation here are some tips on how to erase all personal information that may be stored on it to protect your privacy: Remove your phone's SIM card Erase your address book, photos, messages and other stored information; restore the device factory settings on your device; for instructions on how to do this, go to owner's manual or to the manufacturers' web site.

For more information on Cell Phones For Soldiers, visit www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com.