Residents in Rockland County are being urged to donate their old cell phones to aid a new program that helps soldiers keep in touch.

Thirteen donation bins have been set up mostly at government buildings and firehouses. Rockland County Executive Scott Vanderhoef says the collection is part of the national "Cell Phones for Soldiers" campaign and it's receiving a lot of support.

The phones will be recycled and then sold to buy phone cards for troops serving overseas. Jerry Donnellan, director of the Rockland County Veterans Affairs Office and a Vietnam War vet, says any donation helps because it is very expensive for troops to call home.

The "Cell Phones for Soldiers" program was founded by a group of teens in Massachusetts after they read a story about a soldier who ran up a huge phone bill calling form Iraq.

For interviews about the program, go to channel 612 on your iO digital cable box and select iO Extra.