Starting Monday, Dec. 16, people will have an opportunity to help other people in the Birmingham area and around the world through a vending machine set up at the Riverchase Galleria.
The “Light the World Giving Machine,” sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, will be set up in the Galleria near Macy’s from Dec. 16 to Jan. 3, allowing people to purchase essential items for people in need by giving to various nonprofit organizations.
Local nonprofits participating in the vending machine effort this year include:
- Birmingham Promise, which provides tuition assistance to students in Birmingham City Schools, helping them access higher education and workforce opportunities
- Down Syndrome Alabama, which serves people with Down syndrome and their families through education, advocacy and community involvement
- Better Basics, which offers literacy intervention programs for children in the Birmingham area to ensure every child has access to books and educational resources
- First Light Women’s Shelter, which provides shelter, meals and support services to homeless women and their children as they transition toward independence
- Sleep In Heavenly Peace, a national organization with a chapter in Birmingham that builds and delivers beds to children in need
The vending machine also has options that allow people to provide a chicken for a family in Africa or a malnutrition treatment for a family in Asia.
Items in the machine cost anywhere from $5 to $200, and 100% of the donations go directly to the participating charities, according to a statement from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Both credit and debit cards are accepted.
Since 2017, the Light the World Giving Machines have been placed in select cities worldwide, raising more than $22 million for various charitable organizations.
