Society of St. Vincent de Paul and Recycling for Charities combine effort in recycling program

"E-waste" collected at nine SVdP thrift store locations

DETROIT - The Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) and Recycling for Charities (RFC) are teaming up to collect unwanted cellular phones, Palm Pilots and digital cameras no longer in use to benefit the society's ongoing charitable efforts.

Collection containers for discarded wireless equipment, or "e-waste," are located at SVdP's chain of nine thrift stores throughout the metro Detroit area. Donors may dispose of unwanted electronics during store hours. All makes and models are accepted, regardless of working condition. All donations are tax-deductible.

"The joint-effort between the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and Recycling for Charities is a win-win situation for both charities," said SVdP Executive Director Bill Brazier. "More than 1,000 shoppers visit our super thrift store in Clinton Township each week, so this is an excellent opportunity for our customers to support our mission to help the poor."

The recycling program benefits both non-profit organizations by preventing electronic waste from gathering in landfills where it can harm the environment, while also collecting revenue for charity. Cellular phones and other small electronic devices such as pagers, PDA's, and iPods contain toxins such as lead and mercury that can leak out of landfills and contaminate sources of drinking water. The money from each unit collected is divided between SVdP and RFC.

"We are extremely pleased that SVdP has chosen to work with Recycling for Charities," said Dwight Zahringer, President and Founder of RFC. "We hope that the electronics recycling program will help SVDP collect the funds to continue their ongoing community programs."

SVdP operates nine thrift stores in southeast Michigan with locations in Detroit , Clinton Township, Flat Rock, Pontiac, Port Huron, Inkster, Southgate and St. Clair Shores . Other SVdP charitable operations include the society's food depots, youth summer camps, and a Head Start and health care facility at the VanElslander Family Center , 3000 Gratiot Ave , Detroit .

SVdP has a long, proud history of helping the poor help themselves. SVdP is a major provider of human and disaster-relief services for 22,000 families in six counties of southeast Michigan , including Wayne , Oakland , Macomb , Lapeer, St. Clair and Monroe . SVdP assists people in crisis who have been victims of fires or floods, lost their job, or other urgent situations by providing emergency assistance with vouchers for food, clothing and housing. SVdP works in conjunction with the Archdiocese of Detroit, networking with 2,000 Vincentian volunteers who collect donations from community members for those in need of temporary assistance.

RFC (www.recyclingforcharities.com) handles all collected electronic waste responsibly with the well being of the environment as the primary concern. RFC is an organization (recently applied for Non-Profit status 501c3) that allows individuals to donate cell phones to charity, as well as PDA's, Palm Pilots and digital cameras, in an effort that benefits the cause of their choice and the environment at large. For every charity phone donation one provides, RFC donates half they receive and give the other to the foundation or cause selected. All RFC donations are tax-deductible.