Elder Gary E. Stevenson, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce help announce 2024 Giving Machines locations

Light the World Giving Machines have raised $32 million for local and global charitable organizations in its first seven years

Published: Nov 13, 2024, 10:40 a.m. MST

Sister Amy Wright, first counselor in the Primary general presidency, makes a heart with Lucy Howcroft during the global launch of the Light the World Giving Machines at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Tad Walch covers religion with a focus on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The big red vending machines for giving will be located in a record 106 cities and 13 countries this holiday season, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Wednesday.

The Light the World Giving Machines will be available in 32 U.S. states and the District of Columbia and will be placed in Africa and Asia for the first time, church leaders said during a news conference. (See the full list of locations below.) The event included a video message from Kansas City Chiefs players Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and Chris Jones.

This is the eighth year of the Light the World initiative, which invites the world to help people share and feel the love of Jesus Christ during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, said Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

“The invitation is to light the world, and as we accept that invitation to light the world, we are celebrating the birth of the light of the world, Jesus Christ,” he said.

Record number of Giving Machines collected $10.4 million in 600,000 donations in 2023

The opening dates for the machines will roll out throughout November. Some launched Wednesday in England. Machines in Hong Kong will be available next week. The locations in Salt Lake City and Orem, Utah, will launch on Nov. 25.

How much the Giving Machines have raised and how many have donated

The machines raised $32 million in the first seven years of the initiative.

“Over the years, ‘Light the World’ has evolved into much more than a holiday message. It is a call to action, worldwide,” Elder Stevenson said. “It extends the invitation to follow Jesus Christ in sharing light, love, kindness and service. This Light the World petition or invitation or appeal manifests itself in an outpouring of kind words and thousands upon thousands of charitable deeds.”

The red vending machines work in reverse said President Camille N. Johnson, general president of the Relief Society, which includes nearly 8 million women worldwide.

“Instead of buying something for ourselves, we can donate items to lift and bless people, those in need, those who live in our own communities and those who live across the world,” she said. “These items include nutritious meals, clean water, hygiene kits, shelter, clothing, healthcare, all sorts of resources, including livestock, beehives and chickens.” Nearly 2 million people have used Giving Machines to donate the items.

People can use the Light the World Giving Machines to provide meals, health care, livestock, clothing and more to others around the world.

Elder Takashi Wada, General Authority Seventy, demonstrates a new digital kiosk during the global launch of the Light the World Giving Machines at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

How the Giving Machines help those in need and kick start new micro businesses

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints covers the program’s operational expenses so the 500 participating nonprofit organizations receive 100% of the collected funds, President Johnson said. They each report back to the church to account for how the funds were used.

“It’s important to note that the focus of giving machines is not a monetary focus. The focus is about blessing individuals and families, giving them tools and resources that enable them to ultimately help themselves and those within their community,” said Sister Amy A. Wright, first counselor in the Primary general presidency.

“Jesus Christ admonished, as I have loved you, love one another. One of the greatest manifestations of his love is when we do something for someone that they cannot do for themselves,” she said.

Nonprofit leaders said the donations change lives. Some help “necessity entrepreneurs” start roadside businesses, said Sarah Barrett, director of marketing for Mentors International.

“We have goats, we have chickens, we have seeds, we have fruit trees and we have sewing materials available in the Giving Machines. All of those are a kickstarter for a new business that is a need in the 12 countries we serve,” she said. “It’s not just a gift. You get that ongoing business mentoring and training on how to start a business. So it’s for the long term.”

Barrett visited a group of women in Mexico this year who received sewing materials and launched a business making hammocks. Those women have trained others and now are diversifying into making chairs, too. In all, she said, 84% of those who receive donations are still in business.”

Barrett enjoys watching children bring their allowance to a Giving Machine and buy a chicken for a family in the Dominican Republic or a beehive for a business in Kenya.

“I want the children to know that, guess what? That chicken arrived. I have watched those chickens arrive. I’ve handed out those chickens. So when you give a gift in the Giving Machines, it gets there. It happens, and it is worthwhile.”