“How Giving Machines Help Light the World,” Liahona, Dec. 2024, United States and Canada Section.
How Giving Machines Help Light the World
To follow the Savior’s counsel to care for those in need, the Church has placed Light the World Giving Machines in many cities, providing thousands of people an innovative way to help their brothers and sisters around the world.
Ruth Thompson (left), founder of Hugs Café in McKinney, Texas, reacts to the donations her nonprofit is receiving thanks to the Christlike generosity of patrons of the Giving Machines. Giving Machines are expanding to 108 locations in 2024.
Photographs by Julianne Winzenz
In 2012, Ruth Thompson of McKinney, Texas, was ready to retire and spend more time with her husband. One night Ruth had a dream in which she saw a café with lots of customers. The employees of the café were adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and they were cooking, cleaning, serving, and cashiering. The next night, Ruth had the same dream. She told her husband about it, and he said, “We need to do this.”
Together, the Thompsons built Hugs Café, a lunch restaurant in downtown McKinney. Most of the employees are adults with disabilities.
In 2023, Hugs Café was featured in the first Light the World Giving Machine initiative in North Texas. People throughout the area donated to Hugs Café by purchasing seeds for planting gardens, supplies for making desserts, or job-training courses for teaching adults with disabilities.
Ruth said the Giving Machine initiative is “a brilliant way for individuals to not only get excited about the holiday season but to … give back in one of the most generous times of the year.”
How Giving Machines Work
As part of the Light the World initiative during each Christmas season, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints created the Giving Machine—an innovative and memorable way for people to donate through modified vending machines. Since their first appearance in Salt Lake City in 2017, Giving Machines have accounted for over $32 million in donations worldwide.
In 2023, Giving Machines were placed in 61 cities worldwide, more than double the number of cities involved in the initiative the previous year. This year they are in 108 cities on five continents.
One of the many reasons for the initiative’s success is that 100 percent of the donations is distributed through nonprofit organizations, such as Hugs Café. The Church covers all the operational costs.
In the Dallas/Fort Worth region, Hugs Café was one of eight local nonprofits selected by a committee of Church, interfaith, and civic leaders to participate in the Giving Machines. These nonprofits provide goods and services such as supplying food and clothing, sheltering those without housing, preparing children for school, and providing job skills training, medical care, and more.
Dr. Tonya Stafford (right), founder of It’s Going to Be OK, reacts to donations made to her nonprofit organization by patrons of the Giving Machines. It’s Going to Be OK rescues and cares for survivors of human trafficking.
How Giving Machines Help
For those who can donate, the Giving Machine experience is a fun and natural way to build friendships and lift others. Families with young children organized hot chocolate sales and donated the proceeds at the Giving Machine. Grandparents asked their families to forgo giving them presents and instead donate through the Giving Machines. Singing groups performed at the machines and invited their friends to participate.
Janae Baird, the Church’s communication director for the Fort Worth coordinating council, noted that the Giving Machines not only provide meaningful experiences for those who donate but also create community connections: “So many of us have worked for a long time here in our North Texas communities with JustServe.org and other efforts. The Giving Machines came at just the right time to further build those bridges that we expect to last for decades to come.”
As one example, the winner of the 2023 Mrs. Texas International pageant came to the McKinney Giving Machine launch event, where she was introduced to the founder of It’s Going to Be OK, a participating nonprofit. Her passion is helping young people who had been involved in sex trafficking; It’s Going to Be OK specializes in rescuing young people from sex trafficking rings.
Civic leaders have also partnered with the Giving Machine initiative to help spread light in meaningful ways:
-
In Fort Worth, Latter-day Saint singer Marie Osmond joined with the mayor and over 8,000 others to celebrate the lighting of the Christmas tree and to donate at the Giving Machines.
-
In Grapevine (known as the Christmas capital of Texas), the mayor celebrated by purchasing seeds from the Giving Machines and talking about the need for us to take care of those less fortunate than ourselves.
-
In McKinney, the mayor wrote and delivered a declaration that December 19 would be “Light the World Texas Giving Machines Day” for the city, urging all residents of McKinney to donate.
Lauren Smith with Hugs Café greets the audience at a ribbon-cutting event for the Giving Machines.
How Giving Machines Bring Us Closer to Christ
Jesus Christ taught that the two great commandments are to love God and to love our neighbor (see Matthew 22:37–39). The Giving Machine serves as a tangible expression of Christlike love and service at a time of year when so many are open to His influence. Giving Machines connect generous donors with grateful recipients.
In the December 2023 First Presidency Christmas Devotional, Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said: “Christmas becomes Christmas when we quietly bring Christmas joy to others. … Many individuals light the world with the light of Jesus Christ.”
Thousands of God’s children have shared that light through the Giving Machines. The simple unselfish act of giving connects us with the Light of the World, whose birth we celebrate this Christmas season.
The author lives in Texas.