"Buy" Charity

Earlier in the month Hubby Tony and I were walking at the mall close to my house and found three large vending machines had been set up on the second level. Because they've been there before I knew exactly what was going on.

The Light the World Giving Machines are a ministry of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The machines are stocked with cardboard signs that list requested items for seven different charities (five local, two international). Some of the items are tangible, like a car seat for a newborn. Some are intangible, like meals for veterans.

The cost of the items ranged from less than $25 to almost $100. When you 'buy' something the cardboard sign falls down to the floor of the machine, and at the end of the day a volunteer tallies up everything so it can be donated to the organization. The Church covers the machine costs (and even the credit card processing fee, if necessary), so 100% of funds go to the nonprofits.

I usually don't bring my purse into the mall when I'm walking. Last year Tony and I talked about making a donation, but never took action. This year I was determined not to let that happen. Today I carried my charge card in my jacket pocket and headed straight toward the vending machines.

There were volunteers to help people through the process, but the whole thing was pretty intuitive. After looking over the items I made my choice, keyed in the number on the machine keypad, then scanned my credit card. The key pad asked me if I would also like to cover the credit card processing fee, and then asked if I would like my receipt via a QR code, text, or email.

When I was all done I had the option to have a photo taken in front of a backdrop. I did, but the result was not share-worthy. Probably just as well.

Five years ago: The Numbers Don't Lie