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Photo: Susan Grindstaff, an administrative assistant with the McDowell County Sheriff's Office, displays one of the phones available through the 911 Cell Phone Bank.


The McDowell County Sheriff’s Office has launched a program that gives old cell phones new life.
The Sheriff’s Office is now participating in the 911 Cell Phone Bank, which takes retired cell phones, revamps them and turns them into 911-only phones.
“They’re to be used in emergencies for people who don’t have cell phones,” said Sheriff Dudley Greene. “We send phones we collect to the company. They recondition them, and they give us credit for so many phones to give away.”
Greene added that the county commissioners authorized the Sheriff’s Office to donate its old phones to the Cell Phone Bank as a startup for the local program.
911 Cell Phone Bank is a nationwide nonprofit effort that, as of Monday, Jan. 27, had garnered 1,526 participating agencies and distributed 117,580 phones.
The Sheriff’s Office is collecting old but still functional cell phones at 593 Spaulding Road in Marion.
Anyone who needs a 911 phone can stop by the office and get one, no questions asked. Each phone is free and comes with a charger and a spare battery.
Any churches, civic groups or other organizations interested in having someone come and talk to them about the cell phone bank can call 652-2235.