Following a brief event and the countdown of five bell chimes, the Miller family of the Larry H. and Gail Miller Family Foundation bolstered the new Light the World Giving Machines at Downtown Daybreak, South Jordan, by purchasing one of each item available to donate in the machines.
These machines, to be in South Jordan until Jan. 3, are the first-ever Giving Machines to open on the south end of the Salt Lake Valley. Families and individuals from the community and surrounding areas gathered Thursday night to celebrate the machines’ arrival, as well as the Miller family’s contribution, which will support meals for families, warm clothing, educational resources, shelter support, toys and more.
The machines are “a wonderful addition to the Daybreak community,” said Gail Miller, chair of the Miller family foundation and co-founder of the Larry H. Miller Company, as she addressed those at the Dec. 4 event. “Every act of generosity, no matter how small, sparks a fire within us. And when we gather that spark together, we can do great things and warm those around us.”
In her address, Miller shared she was “brought up in humble beginnings” and recounted a time when “Santa’s helpers” made it possible for her to get a desired “new doll” for Christmas.
“I did get a new doll,” she said, “but it took me about six months to realize it actually was the same doll (an old, worn-out doll she had) that helpers had recreated. They had made a new dress, fixed the hair, painted the face, put it in a new box, and I was delighted.”
What Santa’s helpers did then warmed her heart, she added. “And that’s what we’re here about today…. I hope that this season may be a time to inspire all of you to serve, to give and to love one another, today and all throughout the year. Let’s wear these machines out.”
Also present at the event was Mayor Dawn Ramsey of South Jordan city, community outreach director Kurt Soffe of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Jordan River Utah Region, and CEO Steve Starks of the Larry H. Miller Company. All three of them spoke at the Dec. 4 event, and were joined by a choir of children from Daybreak, South Jordan, as well as a volunteer bell and chime group from Highland.
Having been involved in the process of bringing the Giving Machines to South Jordan, Starks told the Deseret News that the Downtown Daybreak development is a natural “gathering place,” where he believes families and individuals will come from across the valley to give and strengthen the holiday spirit.
“There’s something that happens inside of our soul when we give of our time, our talents, (and) our resources,” he said. “Our hearts are softened. We’re more aware of those around us, and that, ultimately, is the purpose of life. It’s giving, it’s serving, it’s receiving and it’s becoming one as a people.”
Ramsey, who was also heavily involved in bringing the global initiative to her city, expressed a similar sentiment regarding the support she believes the people of South Jordan and around will bring to the Giving Machines.
As mayor and a long-time resident of South Jordan, “I’ve seen people rally in masses with food, or clothing, or money, or support, or babysitting, or whatever it is people stand in need of,” she said.
“Our area does so much to take care of each other and to try to take care of others around us, and those are just a few of the reasons I am positive that people will be coming to support these machines.”
Located just steps from the outdoor ice rink in Downtown Daybreak and a series of other amenities, the South Jordan Giving Machines join the hundreds more that have been placed in 126 cities and across 21 countries this year.
Their location stands at a midpoint between Utah’s Salt Lake and Utah counties, and is expected to help facilitate contributions from many living across the valley.
Since The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Giving Machine initiative first launched in 2017, families and individuals worldwide have donated nearly $50 million dollars to help those in need around the world.
Of this total, more than $16 million were raised in 2024 alone, providing 2 million meals to the hungry, vaccinating 500,000 children against polio and measles, and providing emergency food boxes to 125,000 refugees.
“Every item purchased from these machines is delivered to a person in need, whether down the street or across the world,” said Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman at a Giving Machine news conference held this November. “This year, more than 500 participating nonprofit organizations will make sure this happens.”
To ensure all contributions go directly to the initiative’s participating nonprofits, the Church of Jesus Christ will continue covering all operational costs. The participating nonprofits will then need to provide the church an itemized report of how they use the funds received, ensuring that each contribution provides the item and service that was donated from the start.
“If you have purchased piglets or a chicken or something else that’s specific, the church is going the extra mile to make certain that your donation goes for exactly what you have purchased,” Soffe told the Deseret News at the South Jordan event. He explained that each participating nonprofit must “return and report to the church that the gift you selected has been delivered.”
And that nonprofit may only use 10% of whatever was given for overhead costs, he explained.
“We are so grateful to the people in South Jordan and this area,... and we encourage them to come and to see and to feel the spirit that these machines can bring in your life,” he continued.
To see a full list of the 126 cities in 21 countries that are hosting the machines this year, click here. And to see how Light the World Giving Machine donations are blessing both givers and receivers, click here.
