Give a phone, get a meal

COEUR d'ALENE - Cell phones for the homeless, says Chris Green, are not a luxury.

They are a necessity. They are a must.

They can mean the difference between having a job and shelter, or having no money and no place to go.

"A cell phone is a simple, important step to get stability and get your life back," said Green, emergency shelter director at St. Vincent de Paul. "It's getting to the point you've got to have one."

That's why St. Vincent's is collecting cell phones through a special program at the Coeur d'Alene Best Western Inn.

On Wednesday, all day, anyone who buys a meal there can get a second of equal or greater value for free if they donate a cell phone.

So, if you're in the mood for breakfast, lunch or dinner, dig out an old cell that still functions, include the charger, and stop by with a friend.

It could, Green said, save a life.

"When you're living in crisis and you're living on the streets, a cell is critical," he said.

Yet, most homeless don't have them. Single men and women, parents, teens, people with disabilities - "Every kind of person there is," Green said - are among those on the streets with no phone in their pocket.

The cell is a lifeline to family, friends and assistance, a link to society, Green said. More important, it's essential for finding work. Potential employers need a number to call, and if they can't reach an applicant, that job will go to another.

"It's the difference of them securing a job and being able to get back on their feet," he said.

The domino effect follows: No job, no money, no home.

St. Vincent's hopes to break that cycle by distributing donated phones to its clients.

Green hopes for a strong response to this call for help.

"Let me take your cell phone away from you for a couple days," he said. "What would you do?"