Nearly 16,000 Hoosiers donated to local and global charities at the Light The World Giving Machines at Clay Terrace and Newfields during the holidays. In just its first year, in Indiana, the Giving Machines enabled Hoosiers to donate more than a quarter of a million dollars to those in need. Three local charities were presented with those funds this week.
The impact of Hoosier generosity will be far reaching. Thanks to your donations, 3 local and 4 international charities are receiving their most-needed items via the vending machine style experience.
Together, Hoosiers donated:
• 600+ baby goats and 3,000 chickens to help international families start small businesses
• 90,000 eggs to local families
• More than 31,500 local meals
• More than 150,000 pounds of fresh food and produce to local families
• Indiana donations alone totaled more than $255,000 dollars
• Worldwide, Giving Machines enabled more than $10-million dollars in donations
Specifically for our local charity partners:
• 2,500 children and teenagers will be served breakfast at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Indianapolis
• 144 baby supply kits will provide diapers, wipes, formula and more for families through Flanner House
• The equivalent of 26 full years of meals for an individual are fully funded through Gleaners
“We’ll be able to offer hundreds of families a week’s worth of childcare which could mean the difference between not being able to go to a job interview, or getting a job to support your family long-term, so it’s incredibly powerful,” said Sarah Zike, Flanner House Chief Financial Officer.
“Overwhelmed, excited, and feeling so blessed and recognized for the work we do but also knowing we’re going to pour into the kids what Indianapolis poured into us. So we’re over the moon,” said Pam Lozano, Boys and Girls Clubs of Indianapolis Marketing Manager.
“We want to thank Paul and Mona Sinclair for their chairmanship of the Light The World Giving Machine, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for their visionary approach to this program, and most of all we want to thank the people of the city of Indianapolis and environments. The outpouring for this has been tremendous, and a lot of people around the world will be better off for it,” said Fred Glass, Gleaners President and CEO.
We want to thank our participating charities, venues, and givers and we hope this giving program, new to Indy, will continue in the coming years.
***The Giving Machine is sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and provides an instant act of kindness and service for people looking to help those in their Indiana communities and around the world. Visitors can make donations by purchasing items ranging in price from $3 to $300, and 100% of your donation goes to the charity cause of your choice. Items include clothing, hygiene items, meals, school supplies, life-saving medicine, even livestock. For example, you can swipe your card for $55 and purchase a baby goat that will be delivered to a farmer in Africa who in turn can produce milk, cheese, and more goats. Donations can also be made at givingmachine.org for those not able to use the machines in person.
