Loren Williams spent more than 25 years at for-profit computer hardware companies, most recently in IBM's leasing division. When that chapter was ending during the pandemic, he heard the governor of Illinois announce that PCs for People was opening in Chicago, where he lives. He called to volunteer, and five and a half years later it's his career.
In this episode of The PR Bunker Podcast, Loren explains how a nonprofit turns retired corporate computers into laptops for kids and families, tells the story of the high school hacker who started it all, and warns IT managers about the closet full of old machines down the hall.
A few takeaways from the conversation:
A county social worker named Andy was sent a high school student who had hacked the school system and given himself perfect attendance and straight A's. Andy asked if he'd use those skills to help a church or nonprofit, and the kid said he would but didn't own a computer. Someone pointed to a closet of old and broken county computers and said if he could fix one, he could have one. He did, then fixed another for a family in need. Today PCs for People has 11 locations, 170 employees and shipped more than 30,000 computers last year.
Organizations usually retire computers after three to five years, but a typical machine works for eight to ten. PCs for People picks them up, securely wipes the data, installs Windows 11 as a Microsoft partner and gets them to families directly or through groups like the Boys and Girls Club. Loren mentions a community college student who did his entire first year of classes on his phone before getting a computer from them. In 2025 the organization also kept more than 7 million pounds of electronics out of landfills.
Loren's advice to IT managers is to plan for disposal when you plan the new rollout. Old machines stacked in an empty cubicle or conference room still hold data, and a well-meaning employee might walk out with a laptop for a nephew. PCs for People is NAID AAA certified for data destruction, the same certification reputable for-profit recyclers carry, and Loren says to make sure whoever you use has it.
PCs for People trucks will drive up to four hours each way from its 11 locations to pick up equipment, and it can work with third-party carriers anywhere in the United States. It usually partners with organizations of 150 or more employees, from hospitals and governments to banks and law firms. Learn more or contribute technology at pcsforpeople.org.
Listen to the full episode above.
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What does PCs for People do?
PCs for People is a nonprofit that collects retired computers from businesses and governments, securely deletes the data, refurbishes them and distributes them to low-income households and the organizations that serve them.
Is it safe to donate company computers to PCs for People?
PCs for People is NAID AAA certified for data destruction, the same certification held by reputable for-profit electronics recyclers. Data is securely deleted before any computer is refurbished.
Which organizations can donate computers to PCs for People?
Hospitals, municipal and county governments, financial services, legal and medical organizations are common partners. PCs for People typically works with organizations of 150 or more employees, with pickup within four hours of its 11 locations and shipping options elsewhere.
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