“Where Do Light the World Donations Go?” New Era, Dec. 2019, 20–22.
Where Do Light the World Donations Go?
Clean water, shoes, and sight—all from a vending machine.
Photographs courtesy of Chase Lewis
Each year at Christmastime, the Light the World Giving Machines appear in a number of locations around the world. People have the chance to help others around the world with just the press of a button. But what happens next?
Through Light the World, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints partners with service organizations that help make sure those donations go where they are needed most. Some of the organizations included various local food banks, UNICEF, CARE, Royal British Legion, Caritas Manila, and WaterAid America—to name just a few.
Buying Clean Water
David M. and Maribel Z. treat water at their school’s water quality lab in Bolivia.
At the Giving Machines, one thing people can buy for those in need is clean water. A great place to see the impact of these donations is in San Pedro, Bolivia. The water there has high levels of fluoride, which can harm children’s bones and teeth if they drink too much of it.
“Water comes first,” says Maribel Z.,* 17, a student in San Pedro. “Thanks to the water quality project at our school, people are starting to drink treated water, and we can prevent having too much fluoride in the water.”
In 2017, Light the World donations to the organization Water For People helped students Maribel Z. and David M.,* 17, and their teacher Martín* maintain their school’s water quality lab in San Pedro. They worked with Water For People to identify technology to treat drinking water. Students are responsible for operating the system, which serves two schools, including their own, and a local health clinic.
Providing the Necessities of Life
Some of the many shoes donated at Giving Machines go to needy children through Helen’s Hope Chest in Arizona, USA.
Other donations to the machines went to Helen’s Hope Chest in Mesa, Arizona. Helen’s Hope Chest exists to provide for the basic needs of children who are in foster or kinship care. Here’s what Kate Pompay, Executive Director of Helen’s Hope Chest, had to say about the support they received from the Giving Machines:
“When I received the first update from the #LightTheWorld campaign, I was floored. Over $27,000 had been raised in just a few weeks. I immediately thought of shoes—a lot of new shoes to give to children and teens in foster and kinship care.
“Fast forward a few months when Jill* and Mark* walked into Helen’s Hope Chest for their scheduled ‘shopping’ trip for their five-year-old granddaughter. When we asked how things were going, they looked at each other and pulled out court documents that gave them custody of their two grandsons. We didn’t hesitate to add the boys to the shopping trip to make sure they had what they needed without costing the grandparents any more.
“The funding from the Giving Machines ensures that Helen’s Hope Chest will not have to turn away kids in need.
“As for those shoes I envisioned? They have been walking away on the feet of hundreds of children every month.”
Helping People See
Eye Care 4 Kids CEO Joseph Carbone fits Israel M. for new glasses.
The nonprofit foundation Eye Care 4 Kids offers free eye exams and discounts on glasses and contacts to children who wouldn’t otherwise have access to it. The foundation has eight clinics in Utah, Nevada, and Arizona, does vision screenings in California, and has made several international outreach trips.
Siblings Anel M., 16, and Israel M., 12, have received eye exams, glasses, and contacts from the clinic. Donations to the Light the World Giving Machines help make that possible.
“Every single time we’ve been in, they’ve always been really friendly,” Anel says. “When we’ve been to other places, the glasses are really pricey, and right here they’re affordable. My family isn’t the type of family that has a lot of money, and these are necessities.”
Anel M. gets fitted for glasses.
“The glasses have really helped me,” Israel says. “I couldn’t really see that good, and I can finally see the mountains and the sky.”
The Light the World Giving Machines show that giving to others can be easy and fun. But it doesn’t have to stop at the machines! This Christmas season, honor the birth of Jesus Christ by helping somebody in need.