Charity at the Push of a Button

Charities from the New York metropolitan area and beyond gathered in Times Square on December 1 to celebrate the global launch of the “Giving Machines” — bright red vending machines where people can make donations to local and international charities.

Now in their seventh holiday season, the Giving Machines are returning to more than 125 cities worldwide. As part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Light the World campaign, they have partnered with hundredes of charities and have raised tens of millions of dollars through their wide range of charitable gift options. In 2024 alone, the Giving Machines raised $16.4 million in total donations — from 860,000 visitors and 490,000 item cards purchased.

“You can give food, meals, a goat for someone in another country, hygiene kits, shelter, educational opportunities. They’re a great way to give,” said Elder David Marriott, an Area Seventy for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the North America Northeast Area.

Among the six New York charities featured in this year’s Giving Machines is Catholic Charities of New York.

“It’s really nice to receive gifts during Christmas, but it’s even better to give them,” said J. Antonio Fernández, CEO of Catholic Charities of New York. “100% of the money that is donated here goes to people in need.”

In total, eight Giving Machines will be available across New York throughout December: four in Times Square and one each at the Riverside Church in Harlem, St. Peter’s Church in Midtown East, the West End Church on the Upper West Side, and Catholic Charities of New York’s Giving Machine at the Church of Our Saviour at 59 Park Avenue at 38th Street, New York, NY 10016.

“Hosting a Giving Machine is more than having a bright red kiosk outside our churches — for our congregations, it’s a chance to animate our faith with concrete action,” said Rev. Adriene Thorne, the Senior Minister of the Riverside Church. “It’s a way for our neighbors, whether they’re lifelong New Yorkers or visitors passing through, to stop for a moment and say, ‘I can help, right now, today.’”

Catholic Charities’ items include after-school tutoring, meals for the homeless, a toolbox kit, baby formula, and a supermarket gift card. Gifts range from $7 to $300 dollars.

“This isn’t about Catholic Charities or any church. This is about all of us working together for the Lord,” Fernández said.

The Giving Machines will be available until December 31st. Please visit Catholic Charities’ Giving Machine at the Church of Our Saviour at 58 Park Avenue or donate online here.