‘Our family tradition’: Vending machines at Aurora mall make giving as easy as buying a snack

Three red vending machines at Fox Valley Mall make donating winter clothes to the unsheltered, providing breakfast for needy kids, or sending chickens to people in developing countries as easy as buying a bag of chips.

The Light the World Giving Machines, an initiative of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, were unveiled Wednesday for the third year at the Aurora mall. The machines allow people to donate specific items or services to eight charities and organizations with the push of a few buttons and a swipe of a card.

Lydia Ferrara, 4, of Gurnee, was plucked from the crowd to help unwrap the machines, and she and her family were the first to use them. Her dad, Matthew, said it was their second year visiting.

“We want to teach and instill in our kids that it’s important to give to others who are less fortunate,” he said. “Last year, we were thrilled that the kids really enjoyed selecting items for other people, and we decided that this is going to be our family tradition.”

April Foreman, communications director for the church, said the machines are a visual representation of giving, but not receiving.

“A Giving Machine is about people giving to one another,” she said. “Every card is a real need by a real individual who needs our help. That’s what makes them so special — lives are blessed on both sides of the glass.”

The Giving Machines were introduced in 2017. In the years since, people have donated nearly $50 million, with 100% of every donation going to the participating charities. This year, the machines will visit 125 cities worldwide.

In the two years the machines have been in Aurora, more than 5,500 donations have been made, impacting over 70,000 people, the church said.

Loaves & Fishes, a hunger relief agency serving DuPage County, is part of the program for the third year.

“It really makes a big difference and a big impact,” CEO Mike Havala said. “This is such a creative, unique, impactful idea, and quite honestly, it’s just plain cool.”

The other charities include Ada S. McKinley Community Services, Care, Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Joliet, Little Friends, Right to Play, Ronald McDonald House of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana, and Watts of Love.

The machines will be at the mall until Jan. 1.