Giving Machine makes Bay Area debut at Clearwater Mall Crumbl Cookies (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).
An inventive twist on charity giving has transformed a vending machine into a tool for donating to local and global nonprofits.
This holiday season, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Light the World Giving Machine makes its Tampa Bay area debut at the Clearwater Mall Crumbl Cookies location through January 3rd.
Donations go to local nonprofits that work with some of our most vulnerable populations: CASA Pinellas, which servies domestic violence survivors and their children; Metropolitan Ministries, which helps at-risk and homeless individuals and families; Premier Community HealthCare, which provides medical and dental care to uninsured adults and children and underserved communities in Pasco and Hernando counties; the Tarpon Springs Shepherd Center, which provides food, clothing, and outreach services to those in need; and The Spring of Tampa Bay, which serves domestic violence survivors.
Donations also support Splash, an international social justice organization providing children access to clean drinking water, sanitation facilities, and hygiene; and Mentors International, a global entrepreneurial organization working to help people out of poverty.
At the Giving Machine, donors select the specific supplies and services their contributions go toward. Some include clothing, meals, legal assistance and doorbell security cameras for domestic violence survivors, a month of bus fare, hygiene products, and job preparation assistance. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints covers all operational costs.
During a December 17th event unveiling the Clearwater Mall location, Premier Community HealthCare Chief Advancement & Community Engagement Officer Cheryl Pollock says some donations will fund the organization’s mobile dental clinic for children and a literacy program that provides children with a free book at each wellness visit.
“It’s not just about giving to the organization; it’s about the thousands of individuals in our community who will be helped as a result,” Pollock says. “There are tens of thousands of people who are served by community health centers…We serve everyone because everyone deserves access to quality care.”
Giving Machine donations go to local, international charities (Christopher Curry)
At the event, Metropolitan Ministries Vice President of Marketing Justine Burke says donations can provide crucial assistance to the at-risk population the nonprofit serves.
”Right now, we’re seeing families who are one inch away from losing everything,” Burke says. “They might not be homeless, but they’re one step away, one emergency away.”
The first Giving Machine debuted in 2017. Since then, they’ve appeared in more than 126 cities on six continents and provided over $50 million worth of supplies and services for people in need, according to a press release from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
For more information, go to Giving Machine Florida