Many people probably have a used cell phone hibernating in the kitchen junk drawer, small and forgotten, replaced because it has outgrown its usefulness.

But someone can still use it.

One local agency has put the call out that it wants these phones, telling donors they can be lifesavers for women endangered by domestic violence.

There is power in an unused cell phone.

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates more than 156 million Americans own cell phones. But there’s no record of how many have been discarded.

If it’s not broken, a charged-up old cell phone can still dial 911, even if it hasn’t been on a service plan for years.

For that reason, Project Safe, a women’s domestic violence shelter in Athens, collects these “911-only” phones and hands them out to women who are victims of domestic violence.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the agency is stepping up its efforts to gather unwanted, out-of-service phones at its Athens thrift shop at 995 Hawthorne Ave. There’s a bin in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

“Abusers commonly disconnect phone service,” said Sister Margarita Martin, whose Oasis Catolico Santa Rafaela serves low-income families in the Athens area.

If that happens, having a cell phone turns into a lifeline.

So Project Safe gives working cell phones, along with a working battery and charger, to clients facing tough situations.

Oppression and isolation are key ingredients in these poisonous relationships, and access to other people is the best antidote, according to professionals who work with women and children in such situations. The phone can give women a way out.

“Any human that the victim comes into contact with, whether it is friends, family, advocates or police officers, are people who can help the victim leave the situation,” said Alexis Graf, a case manager at Project Safe.

In the United States, one in four women will experience domestic violence during her lifetime, according to the National Institute of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The lifetime risk is even higher in Georgia. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence estimates that 30 percent of women between 15 and 44 will be abused.

“Women may be beaten just for talking to a girlfriend on the phone,” Graf said. “Domestic violence is all about the abuser having power and control over his partner. Having a 911-only phone and a safety plan gives some of that power back.”

Broken phones are sold to a company that repairs or recycles them, and proceeds from their sale _” usually only $1 to $15 per phone _” help support Project Safe’s shelter for women and children.