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“Don’t throw away those old computers, laptops or phones”, says Madeliene Greene. “We’re recycling them!”

Greene is leading a local effort to obtain and transport these old systems to Tech For Troops (also known as T4T) to benefit veterans in need as well as the many Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) that support them like the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and others.

Technology aids veterans in transition. They use computers to hunt for jobs, generate resumes and respond to job applications. The phones aid veterans in phone interviews and job hunting.

T4T supports veterans by collecting used technology that would usually end up in landfills, then refurbishes them for practical use. T4T provides reloaded technology, along with training to the veterans at low or generally no cost. What started as a Richmond area effort to reclaim used PCs and Mac computers, and now phones, has expanded across the region, covering everywhere from Buckingham to Prince Edward County, Charlotte, Lunenburg and Nottoway. It’s also growing on a national scale. 

But around here, the big question of course is where do you drop off items. There’s only one point so far and it’s a bit of a drive. 

Greene said Pryor Memorial Presbyterian Church in Crewe is now a designated drop-off point for those old computers and phones. She will transport them to the Richmond T4T location for refurbishing. Individuals wishing to donate computers and phones or if you’d like to volunteer your church or other location to be a drop-off point, call Greene at 434-292-9004.