Instead of disposing an old cellphone or tablet around the house, consider donating it and giving the nearly 200,000 U.S. servicemembers abroad a much-needed lifeline back home.

Earlier this month, state Sen. Cathy Young, AT&T and Blue Star Mothers of New York announced they will be teaming up with Cell Phones For Soldiers, a nonprofit that uses proceeds from recycled mobile devices to buy prepaid international calling cards for troops around the world.

Since 2004, the nonprofit has provided more than 216 million minutes of free talk time to servicemembers through its calling card program, Minutes That Matter.

On average, Cell Phones For Soldiers distributes 1,500 calling cards each week to bases around the world, and supports care package programs, deployment ceremonies and VA hospitals.

“Cell Phones For Soldiers is a great organization that helps connect service members with their friends and family,” said Young, R-C-I-Olean. “Our active duty service men and women sacrifice time away from family and friends to protect the values and beliefs we cherish as Americans. Whether stationed abroad or in a VA hospital far from family here in the states, a phone call to a loved one can often serve as a much needed pick-me-up for the military man or woman, and their family. Hearing a friendly and familiar voice can help lessen the emotional burden, especially during a long deployment.”

Residents and businesses have until Dec. 7 to donate their unneeded cellphones or tablets to the following locations:

Sen. Young’s Satellite Office at the Fenton Building, located at 2-6 E. Second St., Suite 302.

AT&T stores located at 707 Fairmount Ave., or 2101 W. State St., Suite 1, in Olean, or 969 Vineyard Drive in Dunkirk.

Dunkirk Library, located at 536 Central Ave. in Dunkirk.

Sen. Young’s District Office in Westgate Plaza, located 700 W. State St. in Olean.

Cattaraugus County Office Building, located at 303 Court St. in Little Valley.

Allegany County Veterans Service Agency at the Crossroads, located at 6085 State Route 19N in Belmont.

Dansville Library, located at 200 Main St. in Dansville.

For every donated device worth at least $5, Cell Phones For Soldiers is able to provide two and a half hours of free talk time to deployed troops through calling cards.

“Each year we have been humbled by the amount of people and organizations like AT&T and New York State Senator Young that take part in this important initiative to support our military members,” said Robbie Bergquist, co-founder of Cell Phones For Soldiers. “The communication gap between those serving and their families is a crucial need that Cell Phones For Soldiers is committed to addressing for years to come.”

According to a press release from Young’s office, approximately half of the phones processed are reconditioned and reused. Phones and components that cannot be refurbished are dismantled and recycled to reclaim materials, including: gold, silver and platinum from circuit boards; copper wiring from phone chargers; and nickel, iron, cadmium and lead from battery packs.

To erase all personal information on mobile devices, donors are encouraged to remove the phone’s SIM card, erase address books, photos, messages and other stored information, as well restore the default factory settings.

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