Access Wireless at BOH every other Tuesday
Every other Tuesday (the second and the fourth) Tuesday of the month Access Wireless provides free cell phones to income-eligible residents of Pine Island. The program is part of the government-funded Lifeline Assistance Program begun during the Reagan Administration in 1985.
Lifeline is intended to help individuals experiencing financial hardship to stay connected to family members, schools and child care providers, as well as be reachable to potential employers and have a means of communicating in case of emergency. The valuable service that Lifeline provides is designed to be a bridge for those striving for self-sufficiency.
“The program is designed to help people get back on their feet,” Access Wireless representative Joan Brannan said. “To qualify you have to be on food stamps, Medicaid or SSI (Social Security Income). If you are on any one of those you are qualified. I also need a photo ID or birth certificate.”
The program provides you with a free mobile phone, 250 minutes every month and unlimited texting each month, free voicemail, caller ID, call waiting, free domestic long distance and nationwide coverage on the Sprint network.
“I am in different locations throughout Lee County and at the Beacon of H.O.P.E every second and fourth Tuesday of the month,” Brannan said. “Being able to help people is the biggest reward of this job. There are a lot of people that need help and I feel like I’m helping them.”