Holiday service: When was the last time you bought a piglet from a vending machine?

What if donating to charity was as easy as buying a candy bar?

Imagine swiping your credit card at a vending machine and instead of buying a candy bar for yourself, you buy a piglet for a family in a third-world country. Or a polio vaccine. Or a pair of shoes. Or 100 meals for your local food bank. With the #LightTheWorld Giving Machines, that’s exactly what happens.  Denver is one of only ten cities around the globe to host the Giving Machines which provide a way for people to quickly and easily help those in need and make their Christmas season a little more meaningful for themselves–and countless others. 

Location: The Giving Machines will be located at Writer Square at 16th and Lawrence in Downtown Denver.

Times: The machines will open November 26, 2019 at 11 am and be open every day from 9 am to 11 pm through January 1, 2020.

What is the background?

The Giving Machines started in 2017 with the simple idea of “how might we give people the opportunity to perform an instant act of service?” These unique vending machines allow people to purchase books, meals, personal care items, fresh food, clean water and even lambs and piglets for people in need.

In 2017, just four machines in Salt Lake City, UT raised over $550,000 for global and local causes. In 2018, the program expanded to New York, London, Manila and Gilbert, AZ, and raised $2.3 million more.

2018 Highlights

$2,309,844 in donations paid for:

702,527 meals
19,640 chickens
4,766 goats
3,703 polio vaccines
2,312 resuscitation kits for babies
1,672 eye exams and glasses
Many other items ranging from backpacks to mosquito nets to sporting goods
92,190 people participated

18 charities benefited

5 cities in three countries.

Light the World Giving Machines are sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is covering machine costs, administrative fees and donation overhead. Go to givingmachinesdenver.com for more information.