November 27, 2024
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has expanded to have 106 operating Giving Machines across the globe in 2024, placing them in far-reaching cities such as Nairobi, Kenya, and Cebu City, Philippines.
The charity initiative still remains local, though, as the church has five Giving Machines in Utah this Christmas season. That includes one in Orem, which returns to the University Place mall for a fifth time and will operate through Jan. 3, 2025.
Elsewhere in Utah, Giving Machines have been placed in Logan, Ogden, Salt Lake City and St. George.
“It’s really been interesting to get involved with it, and then to see how it kind of comes together,” said Mark Seastrand, who is in charge of the Orem machine. “The joy that comes from the community and from the money is very helpful. We could help feed some people. We can help them have a little better life, stay a little warmer and find the resources they need.”
The Giving Machines, which are part of the church’s “Light the World” campaign, offer a variety of charities that people can choose to donate particular items to. The Orem location selected eight vetted charities this year.
“There’s that concern that if I give money, will it go to the right place? Will it be used in the right way?” Seastrand said. “And so I think that the Giving Machines give people a really good opportunity to not just give money, but to give particular items. So when they go to the Giving Machine, they can select what they want to give.”
The Orem Giving Machine group partnered with the Red Cross to make donations on an international level again this year. Through the Red Cross, people can donate items such as goats or chickens.
Most of the charities are local, though, including a number of food-based charities such as Community Action Services and Food Bank, Meals on Wheels and Tabitha’s Way, which has food pantries in Spanish Fork, Pleasant Grove and Saratoga Springs.
Other charities involved are United Way; Eye Care 4 Kids; the Alpine House, which helps people with mental health challenges; and Kids on the Move, an Orem-based charity that says it helps families with “special circumstances.”
Seastrand estimated that 60%-70% of items donated stay locally.
“I will say we are fortunate because we have a number of great charities that are well-run and really do a good job here locally in Utah Valley,” Seastrand said. “It’s hard to pick from, because there are so many good ones to choose from.”
The process of getting the Giving Machines up and running on an annual basis is a meticulous one. The first step is identifying and selecting the charities and “getting them up to speed,” Seastrand explained.
From there, there are legal documents and contracts to work through.
“Anytime you’re working with donations, and with a fairly significant amount of donations, you want to make sure that everything is wrapped up and locked in well with the charities,” Seastrand said.
According to Seastrand, after securing the charities, the most difficult task for new cities is finding a place to put the machine. In places unfamiliar with the Giving Machines, getting them placed in targeted areas, such as shopping centers, is tricky, he said, because business owners are often skeptical of what they are and how they operate.
Having a reliable location at the mall makes that a nonissue for the Orem team.
But they still have to tackle additional logistics annually, including setting up an internet connection to the machine, promoting the machine through a kick-off event and advertising, and securing volunteers to run the machine throughout the season.
“There really are a lot of factors to making this thing go and we’ve got a wonderful team of individuals,” Seatrand said. “Our team has done it a time or two now, so it’s a little bit more routine, but it’s still a great joy and privilege to be able to do it.”
The Giving Machine program has grown dramatically in recent years. In 2019 and 2021, there were just 10 machines, including the Orem location. That number grew to 28 in 2022, 61 in 2023 and now to over 100.
For the Orem location, Seatrand said there isn’t a specific numeric or monetary benchmark they’re hoping to achieve. Rather, the goal is to promote good in the community.
“We don’t try to push,” he said. “There’s not a salesperson there. We try to give exposure to the charities. We try to identify the people, or the categories that need the most help, and we try to give people an opportunity to give in that direction and to feel the love of Christ.”
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