Catholic Charities of New York and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) have joined with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) again to participate in the Light The World Giving Machine initiative, launching this year’s campaign in Manhattan’s Times Square on December 2.
Unlike a traditional vending machine, where the buyer pays for the machine to dispense snacks or drinks, the Giving Machine uses those funds to provide much-needed goods or services via the program’s 16 participating charitable organizations. Choices include food packages, medicine and medical supplies, live chickens, and toys and games for children and families in need.
To date, the Giving Machines have generated $22 million in donations worldwide, impacting millions of lives, according to the LDS, which has spearheaded the initiative since 2017. In 2024, the machines will be deployed in 107 cities in 13 countries on five continents, including for the first time in Africa and Asia.
“One of the things people can buy, for the price of a gym membership, is a shelter kit for people displaced by conflict. It includes tarps, tents, nails, and things that can provide shelter after a disaster. We also have emergency food packages for the price of $25 that can feed a family of five for a month,” said Robyn Fieser, regional marketing manager of CRS, during her remarks at the event.
Representing Catholic Charities of New York, Monsignor Kevin Sullivan said, pointing to the many advertisements ringing in Times Square, “I invite you to look around. You will see wonderful gifts that people will be receiving for Christmas. I hope people get those wonderful gifts that you see around us. But I invite you to look at these machines that will light the world because we give, not the gifts around us, but the gifts that will enable our sisters and brothers to live in dignity, as we say in our Catholic traditions, that they are made in the image and likeness of God.”
One of the Giving Machines will be installed in front of Monsignor Sullivan’s own parish on Park Avenue in Manhattan. “We’re putting it not only in front of the Church of Our Saviour but right on the corner next to where the Nativity scene is. And what we want to communicate is if you worship Jesus, you need to take care of His sisters and brothers, who are our sisters and brothers. So, it is an incredibly wonderful sign and reality that the love of God and the love of neighbor are so connected,” he told The Good Newsroom in an interview after the event.
When using a Giving Machine, people can look through a window to see pamphlets for items available and a touchscreen with more donation options. A credit card or electronic payment system can be used to complete the donation.