Ask Royale: Is there an Upstate SC organization that provides phones for those in need?

Question: Is there a local organization that takes old cell phones, makes them usable and gives them to charitable organizations to help those who need them? In one city I lived in, they were refurbished and given to victims of domestic violence to help them protect themselves.

Answer: Safe Harbor, a non-profit organization that offers a continuum of services for survivors of domestic violence and their children in Greenville, Anderson, Pickens and Oconee Counties, has a program that provides domestic violence victims with phones. They have partnered with More Than a Phone for a little over a year now to provide phones.

More Than a Phone, based in Indiana, is an organization that connects with over 90 domestic violence programs across the country and provides them with phones. Each phone can be activated for up to four months of talk, text and five gigabytes of data, according to Courtney Kibble, More Than a Phone's Program Director.

"Usually, when a survivor is coming to seek help, they're leaving everything behind. A cell phone can be a lifeline for them to be in communication with friends or family that they lost contact with while they were with the abuser, or with their children's school or work," Kibble said.

Since the program started last year, Safe Harbor has received 40-50 phones per shelter location in Greenville, Anderson and Oconee.

"It's for clients that are in imminent danger with high levels of safety concerns," Michelle Gilbert, Safe Harbor Director of Shelter Advocacy, said.

Safe Harbor encourages people with old cell phones to take them to their local cell phone provider. Often times they have enhanced programs that are used to support other programs in the community, Gilbert said.

The 911 Cell Phone Bank also accepts old phones across the country to give to victims of domestic violence and human trafficking. The program was created to provide readily available sources of 911 emergency cell phones and other personal electronic devices to meet the unexpected and urgent needs of participating law enforcement and victim services agencies. Individuals can ship their old phones to the 911 Cell Phone Bank at no cost.

We want to give our readers the opportunity to have their questions about Greenville County answered. Email your questions to rbonds@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Upstate SC's Safe Harbor helps domestic violence victims with phones