Donate Cell Phones To Help Safe Passage Of Northampton & WomanShelter/Companeras Of Holyoke, Massachusetts

HOLYOKE, MA — Starting on Earth Day, April 22, through the end of May, the Verizon Wireless Communications Store in Holyoke and Whole Foods Market in Hadley are accepting donations of no-longer-used wireless phones, chargers and batteries as part of Verizon Wireless' HopeLine^SM program.

For this Earth Day initiative, Verizon Wireless will donate $5 per collected phone, up to $1,000, to each of two recipient shelters: Safe Passage in Northampton and Womanshelter/Compañeras in Holyoke. Wireless phones donated at Whole Foods Market (327 Russell Street, Route 9, Hadley) will benefit Safe Passage and those donated at the Verizon Wireless store in the Holyoke Mall will benefit Womanshelter/Compañeras in Holyoke. Every donation counts, no matter the phone, the carrier or condition.

The phones are recycled in an environmentally friendly way or sold for parts. Older, unsalvageable phones are disposed of through an EPA-certified salvage company. Proceeds, in the form of working phones and cash, from recycled and refurbished phones are given to domestic violence shelters to help women and their children break away from violent and abusive relationships.

"Most people have at least one old wireless phone sitting in a drawer somewhere in the house. Whether you're motivated by Earth Day, spring cleaning or helping a victim in need, we encourage everyone to recycle their no-longer-used wireless phones rather than throw them away," said Bob Stott, President of Verizon Wireless' New England Region. "It may seem a small act, but it pays big dividends for those in need."

"Earth Day is a terrific point of focus to raise our consciousness about the choices we can make that will positively impact the health of our planet and our local communities," said David Lannon, President of the North Atlantic Region for Whole Foods Market.

2005 is the 10^th Year Anniversary of the Verizon Wireless HopeLine program. This national phone re-use and recycling program has collected nearly two million wireless phones donated by consumers since 2001. Through these recycling efforts, more than 200 tons of electronics waste and batteries have been kept out of landfills. In the last year alone, Verizon Wireless collected more than half a million used wireless phones to benefit domestic violence victims and advocacy groups and donated over $4 million in monetary and other contributions to domestic violence shelters and prevention programs. Visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline for more information.

Phone drop-off points:

Verizon Wireless
Holyoke Mall, Holyoke

Whole Foods Market
327 Russell Street, Hadley

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless network, serving 43.8 million voice and data customers. Headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information at www.verizonwireless.com.  To receive broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.  

About HopeLine
2005 marks the 10 year anniversary of the Verizon Wireless HopeLine program, which puts wireless products and services to work to combat domestic violence. Today, HopeLine collects wireless phones and accessories from any wireless carrier and refurbishes or recycles them with proceeds benefiting victims of domestic violence. The environmentally friendly HopeLine Program also provides victims with essential communication tools — wireless phones and wireless services, including voicemail and pre-paid wireless minutes. Donations are accepted at all 1, 900-plus Verizon Wireless Communications Stores across the country. For additional information, customers can visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.  

About Whole Foods Market®
Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market (www.wholefoodsmarket.com) is the world's leading natural and organic foods supermarket and America's first national certified organic grocer. In fiscal year 2004, the company had sales of $3.9 billion and currently has 169 stores in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The Whole Foods Market motto, "Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet"^TM captures the company's mission to find success in customer satisfaction and wellness, employee excellence and happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and environmental improvement. Whole Foods Market, Harry's Farmers Market®, and Fresh & Wild® are trademarks owned by Whole Foods Market IP, LP. Whole Foods Market employs more than 33,000 team members and has been ranked for eight consecutive years as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" in America by Fortune magazine.

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