Giving Machines at Fox Valley Mall make donating to local charities easy as a card swipe

Three bright red vending machines at Fox Valley Mall make donating clothes to homeless people, providing healthy snacks for needy kids or sending polio vaccines to people in Africa as easy as buying a candy bar.

The Giving Machines, an initiative of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, were unveiled Friday for the second year at the Aurora mall. The machines allow people to donate specific items or services to six local charities and two national organizations with the push of a few buttons and swipe of a card.

April Foreman, communications director for the church, said they were born of a conversation on how to make giving “repeatable and enjoyable.”

“They’re made to connect with our local communities,” she said. “We like to say that Giving Machines are about people giving to people and that both sides of the glass are benefiting.”

The Giving Machines were introduced in 2017. In the years since they’ve had over 2.2 million people donate a total of over $33 million. This year, the machines are in 104 locations.

Lazarus House, an organization in St. Charles that helps people in need with shelter, food and other support services, is among the six local charities chosen after a vigorous vetting process.

Julie Purcell, their executive director, said they appreciated that an organization as large as the church would support small local charities like theirs.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to raise money in a nontraditional way, especially around the holidays,” Purcell said. “There is a rise in homelessness nationwide. And in our area, we’re seeing a huge rise with senior citizens and also two-parent families who, due to the lack of affordable housing, are getting pushed out of their apartments because they can no longer afford it.”

The other local charities include Bernie's Book Bank, Little Friends, Loaves & Fishes, Phil's Friends and Watt's of Love. National nonprofits UNICEF USA and Church World Service are also represented.

The machines will be at the mall until GivingTuesday on Dec. 3, when they will move to a location in St. Louis.

Last year, about 25,000 people in the Chicagoland area were helped by donations through Giving Machine locations. The Latter-day Saints covers all the operating costs, and the charities receive 100% of the donations.

Oswego residents Devon Pinnegar, his wife Shelby, and their four kids were first in line to use one of the machines. He said they pooled money with another family and made donations to all eight charities represented, totaling $338.

“We try to teach our kids that the Lord blessed us with extra stuff, so we want to share with everybody else,” Devon Pinnegar said.