Unlike other types of donation where the donor would not know where the proceeds will be spent, the Light The World giving machines allow them to identify the type of donation they want.
These unique giving-focused vending machines add a fun and spiritual dimension to the shopping and gift-giving season. Unlike regular vending machines, the Giving Machines dispense valuable and affordable product cards that facilitate acts of service for fellow Filipinos in need, allowing the public to participate in the joy of caring.
This year’s items available through the Giving Machines include food packs, hygiene kits,
educational materials, student financial aid, emergency and repair kits, multivitamins, eyeglasses and eye-care packages, medical kits, water kits, crutches, wheelchairs, immunization packages, and psychosocial support, among others.
For the convenience of donors, they have the option to contribute via cash or e-payment, such as GCash and AliPay. Located at the 3 rd level of the Ayala Center Cebu, the Light The World Giving Machines will be available during mall hours until January 1, 2024.
The Church covers all operational costs for every donated item made through the Giving
Machines. This will ensure that 100 percent of the donation goes to the recipients identified by the participating non-profit organizations. These include the Caritas Manila, Caritas Cebu, Feed the Children Inc., HERO Foundation Inc., Mabuhay Deseret Foundation, and UNICEF.
Maida Salcedo-Mission of UNICEF Philippines said seven items in the Light The World Giving Machines are allocated for UNICEF.
These items are for two of their core programs – the humanitarian services and the development work.
Under the humanitarian services, UNICEF has on standby supplies such as water and hygiene kits for immediate response during emergencies. On the other hand, the development work includes child protection services.
Donations coursed through their organization also funded the psychosocial services for children who are victims of all forms of abuse. The Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center is one of the identified beneficiaries of UNICEF’s psychosocial intervention program for abused children.
On the other hand, Ofelia Cardeno, program director of Feed the Children Philippines, explains that they received more than half a million pesos from last year’s Light The World project. They were able to provide school essentials for 100 students in Central Visayas to continue with their basic education.
With the donations coursed through their organization, they provided school uniforms, education kits, and transportation expenses for the children-beneficiaries stopped going to school after grade six since their parents could no longer afford to send them to school, Cardeno said.
She added that they will continue to support these students in the next school year. They plan to double the number of beneficiaries in the next school year. The plan is to support these students until they complete basic education (K-12).
Kendrick Rey Miňoza, who represented Caritas Cebu executive director Rev. Fr. Alex Cola, said they received half a million pesos last year which helped the operation of a free clinic, including free consultation and medicine, for street people at the Cebu Caritas office.
The funding assistance also partly helped the final leg of Caritas Cebu’s Odette response,
providing 125 shelters for those affected by the typhoon.
Miňoza added that the additional donation will be used for their tripartite program: humanitarian, developmental, and justice and peace programs.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints invites everyone to celebrate the birth and life of Jesus Christ while extending a loving hand to those in need.
Since 2018, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has hosted Giving Machines in the Philippines, one of only six countries worldwide to do so every Christmas season. To date, the Giving Machines have collected over US$22 million in donations for beneficiaries across the globe.
Each Christmas season, the Church’s #LightTheWorld initiative invites all people to follow the loving example of the Savior Jesus Christ, the Light of The World, by caring for individuals one by one.
The Church hopes to inspire people to find unique ways to love, share, and invite one another to light the world. As individuals around the globe inspire and support one another in embodying the radiant teachings of Christ, His illuminating light and boundless love will more profoundly touch the lives of those in search of healing, hope, and authentic joy.
