After visits to New York’s Rockefeller Plaza and London’s Hyde Park in seasons past, the world-famous Light the World Mobile Giving Machine is coming to Florida this Christmas season.
These bright red vending machines work in reverse by giving people an opportunity to buy much-needed items for local and global charities. However, instead of buying the usual junk food that drops down to the bottom of the vending machine, people can insert money into these special vending machines and donate a goat for a needy family in Africa or even an acre of sweet potatoes for another family in Asia.
In St. Augustine, people will be able to use the Light the World Mobile Giving Machine to buy a stroller to ease the burden of a mother, healthy snacks for the hungry, children’s socks and pajamas or even a new outfit for a teenager in need of clean clothes and a little dignity. The local partners for the Light the World Mobile Giving Machine here in Florida are St. Gerard Campus and Miriam’s Basket.
The Light the World Mobile Giving Machine will be at the St. Augustine Visitor Center on Castillo Drive from Black Friday, Nov. 25, to Giving Tuesday, Nov. 29, during the annual Nights of Lights.
Since 2017, these Giving Machines have been placed in select cities throughout the world, raising more than $15.1 million dollars for charitable organizations. To support more local nonprofits, a Mobile Giving Machine was launched this year and will be traveling to five Southern cities from Thanksgiving through Christmas: St. Augustine; Birmingham, Alabama; Atlanta, Georgia; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Charleston, South Carolina.
The Light the World Mobile Giving Machine is sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and provide an instant act of service for people looking to help those in their community and around the world. One hundred percent of all donations go directly to the participating charities. For more information, go to mobilegivingmachine.org.
