Seeds of Hope, a drop-in centre and shelter at 6 St. Joseph St. in Toronto, is thrilled to announce a new Phones of Hope program to help get phones into the hands of people who need them most. A phone is a modern-day lifeline, and since the pandemic has forced the closure of many resource centres, a means of communication can be a matter of survival. Donations to Phones of Hope will be directed towards getting phones into the hands of the most vulnerable individuals in the city.

During the pandemic, Seeds of Hope has worked to train people on important health measures such as such frequent hand washing and wearing a mask. We are now also encouraging the use of the COVID Alert app, and recipients of the phones from Phones Of Hope will be coached on the value of installing the COVID Alert app as another way to help break the cycle of infection and protecting their health.

Phones of Hope has partnered with Cellbie (www.cellbie.com), a tech-enabled marketplace of used mobile devices, to source appropriate phones at the lowest cost possible and obtain the highest value for donations.

How it works:

• Phones and the first month of service will be provided at no cost.
• Devices are fully functional smartphones with the COVID Alert pre-installed.
• The first 100 phones will be sponsored.
• Corporate sponsors are invited to sign up to sponsor additional phones or donate their old devices to the program.

“We are thrilled to support this program with devices for those in desperate need,” said Mark VanderHeyden, co-founder of Cellbie Inc. “The Cellbie marketplace connects mobile device Buyers and Sellers for all device types, allowing us to deliver the right devices to this program and direct device donations for the highest impact.”

“We are very excited to be launching this program,” said Kimberly Curry, Executive Director, Seeds of Hope. “We work hard to provide necessities to Toronto’s most vulnerable people, and a smartphone has become a necessity of life to access healthcare, find resources, jobs and housing and now to help with tracing the COVID-19 virus. Thank you to all those involved in helping to make this program a reality.”

For more information visit https://www.seedsofhope.ca/our-projects-2/phones-of-hope

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