NEWARK, Del. -- Blue Hen fans attending the University of Delaware women’s basketball team’s home game against Towson on Thursday, January 28 at 7 p.m. are encouraged to donate old, unused cell phones as part of the Verizon Wireless HopeLine phone recycling program that supports victims of domestic violence.

HopeLine collects phones from any manufacturer, any wireless carrier, in any condition, as part of the recycling efforts. After all personal data is erased, most of the phones are resold, generating proceeds that are used for cash grants to non-profit domestic violence agencies. The remaining phones become HopeLine phones; those to which Verizon Wireless adds minutes and other services such as voicemail, and gives them to shelters nationwide for use with victims of domestic violence.

Verizon Wireless has collected more then 5.6 million wireless phones, given more than $6.3 million in cash grants, and provided more than 76,000 phones with free airtime through the HopeLine program since 2001.