Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — The giving machines program run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as part of its "Light the World" initiative is expanding this year, as the machines spread to twice as many cities as the previous Christmas season.
The church announced on Friday the machines, which mimic vending machines but allow people to buy items for others, will be located in 61 cities, including at the City Creek Mall in Salt Lake City and the University Place Mall in Orem, beginning Nov. 20.
Almost one-third of the machines will be located internationally in Mexico, Guatemala, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the Philippines.
Chickens bring transformation
Mary Concepter Obiero, the director of relief development and protection for Church World Service Africa, said at a press conference on Friday that she represents about 20,000 communities that have benefited from the giving machines.
"The impact that this project has had is huge," she said, emphasizing the outcomes are fast.
Obiero spoke about one community in Tanzania where 90 women were given three chicks each. One year later, the women had 5,000 chickens, helping children go to school and be fed.
She said the chicks brought a transformation that can only be explained by God's word.
Now the program buys chicks from these women who are currently getting about 6,000 eggs each day from their hens.
The giving machines also help Church World Service Africa provide beehives and goats. Obiero said because they give goats to women, for the first time men talk to women about the livestock, and men have reported it "brought love and unity" to their families.
Karl Cheney, a member of the church's missionary department, said he had opportunities to travel with representatives from organizations with products in the machines, including Obiero. He said the lives of the people they visited "are absolutely changing for good, simply because people are participating in this initiative."
Small donations have a big impact
Sister Amy A. Wright, first counselor in the Primary general presidency, said both the giver and the receiver are transformed by the experience. She said giving machines often have lines of individuals and families who want to give and are excited about it. She said people never fully grasp the effect of their giving.
In the seven years giving machines have been available, she said about 1.5 million people have donated over $22 million. She said because of the interest in the machines, the program will likely continue to grow.
Sister Wright said one of her favorite things to donate at the machines is water. At the machines, people can purchase water bottles to drink or give away, or water purification tablets for people around the world.
She said people are never more like Jesus Christ than when they are doing something for others.
"We have a sacred responsibility … to help reignite (the light of Christ) in each others' lives so that receiver and giver will come to know together, in that moment, the full measure of their divine worth," she said.
Sister Wright said the Light the World initiative is a wonderful opportunity for members to look beyond themselves and share God's love during the Christmas season. She hopes people learn to be creative about how they give, like the giving machines.
"It doesn't need to be big. If we've learned anything from this, (it's that) small and simple things can impact the world in a big way," she said.
Joy from giving
Elder William K. Jackson, general authority seventy of the church, said there are people everywhere with an "innate desire to serve," but they often don't know where to donate — the giving machines can help.
"What we're looking forward to this year is an even greater, fruitful experience for our brothers and sisters around the globe. Regardless of their socioeconomic status, they will have the opportunity to experience the joy and the fulfillment that comes from helping anonymously ... another member of our human family," he said.
At some point, Elder Jackson said he would love to have giving machines available online. He said the machines are not just for members, who can donate through the church at any point, but everyone.
"This is an opportunity to ... enlarge our net a little bit and bring a lot of our other fabulous brothers and sisters around the world into this, as well, to give them the opportunity to give and to share," he said.
Elder Jackson said purchasing an item from the machine last year was "uplifting" because he knew someone else would benefit.
He said organizations have agreed to not use more than 10% of the funds for overhead costs. The church is partnering with over 250 nonprofits to provide 1,200 different items people can purchase for others.
Jessica Kendrick, director of outreach with Lifting Hands International, said because of the giving machines her program is going to be able to provide immediate aid to refugees, including hygiene kits, sanitary pads and diapers; food and medical supplies to people in Ukraine; and goats to Syrian refugees in Jordan.
She said the goats allow refugees to use the milk now, and eventually build a herd of goats and become financially stable enough to leave the refugee camp.
In each hygiene kit, Kendrick said the program includes a handwritten card, and often those cards stay with the receiver longer than the bottle of shampoo.
"People keep those cards because they just feel so appreciated and like they're not alone in their journey anymore, and that's what the giving machine does," she said.
