Volunteers in Lunenburg County restore phones to connect people in need

Michael Graves has been collecting used smartphones on Nova Scotia's South Shore for the better part of a decade.

The executive director of United Way Lunenburg County picks up old phones from people who don't use them anymore, turns the devices over to a volunteer for repairs, and then passes them on to partner organizations in the area to supply to people in need. 

Graves said smartphones have become essential tools in today's society, enabling people to do online banking, look for jobs and access public services. They can also be a lifeline for some people. 

"They help seniors communicate with their loved ones as well as the community. They help people that are living with housing insecurity, people that are couch surfing, people that live in rural communities that can't get to the bank, women fleeing family violence," he said. 

The program has given out 425 devices since its origins in 2017 and Graves said demand isn't lessening. 

Robert Brown is the volunteer who repairs and updates all the phones in his small shop in Bridgewater, N.S. 

He said he became part of the operation through his friendship with Graves, who revealed to him the "crazy need" for smartphones in the communities United Way Lunenburg County serves. 

"Communication is a big thing," said Brown. "Because usually the people in the need, they're the most vulnerable." 

Graves takes the collected phones to Brown so he can evaluate them and determine if they are salvageable. Brown said he can replace broken screens, batteries and cameras. But if a phone is irreparably damaged, he said he will still keep it for parts. 

"If one guy needs a screen, the other guy needs a battery and you can swap around. So that saves money for United Way," he said.

He does not charge for his services, but the organization covers his costs if any parts are needed and pays for a new charger for each phone.

After repairs to a phone are completed, Graves places it in a ziplock bag along with a charger and drops it off at one of the partner organizations he collaborates with.

Graves said he is proud of the impact of the program.

"We were told that there was a young lady who got one [phone] a couple of years ago that was human trafficked and had the phone and called out from Montreal and people got her back home," he recalled. 

"There was another gentleman that apparently was on one of the bridges in town and almost ready to jump and reached out at the last minute [using a donated phone] and he got support."