‘Beautiful way’ to love: Nearly 1M people donated at Giving Machines this season
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Emily Ashcraft, KSL
SALT LAKE CITY (KSL) — The Light the World Giving Machine initiative that began in 2017 is continuing to grow and is now in 126 cities and six continents.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said Monday that almost 1 million people donated 4.7 million items at its Giving Machines during the 2025 Christmas season.
Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the church’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “Jesus of Nazareth went about doing good. I can think of no better gift we can give the Savior than to love one another as he did. The Giving Machine initiative is a beautiful way to do just that.”
The machines were placed in mid-November and were available in various cities through the first week of January. The money raised is now being passed to over 500 nonprofit organizations that will help get the items to people who need them.
Those 1 million individuals donated 3.5 million meals, clean water, clothing for 108,000 people, 97,000 books and school supplies, 500,000 vaccinations, 350,000 months of menstrual hygiene care, and many other items, according to the church.
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“Whatever the item, the impact on individuals and families often reaches far beyond what donors might imagine,” the church said in a statement.
It said menstruation kits for girls and women in Nepal will not just improve hygiene but will help tens of thousands of girls remain in school, combatting a cultural stigma that often leads girls to miss school so often they drop out.
A gift of pigs can help families for generations. A woman whose family received two piglets during an earlier Giving Machine season said they were so happy to get the pigs.
“We have very little income, but we took care of the pigs and raised them, and in a few months, we made a profit — enough to meet our needs and purchase additional pigs to keep going,” Junila Serafin said.
Many more stories of people whose lives have been changed through a Giving Machine donation can be found on the church’s website.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints covers all operational expenses, so the nonprofit organizations receive 100% of the donations. Monday’s statement explained that those organizations undergo a vetting process and agree to use no more than 10% of the funds they receive for administrative purposes.
Since the Giving Machine initiative began, people around the world have used the machines to donate about $70 million — with roughly $20 million of those donations coming in during the latest season.
The church said “countless lives” will be blessed by donations during the last season.
“For many visitors, the Giving Machine experience is much more than a charitable act. It has become a meaningful Christmas tradition centered on service and compassion,” the church said.