MODESTO — This holiday season the Modesto Vintage Faire Mall has made space available for the Light the World Giving Machines.

These special vending machines placed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provide the opportunity, through participating non-profits, to purchase a variety of gifts, such as clean water, farming equipment, medical care, educational supplies, meals for needy families, blankets for the homeless, essentials for battered women, and even chickens and goats for families in Africa.

Elder Douglas P. Maxfield, a regional leader from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was the spokesperson at the kick-off and ribbon-cutting this week at the mall. The event included Trish Christensen, president and CEO of the Modesto Chamber of Commerce, and Modesto Mayor Sue Zwahlen, who made the first purchase.

The program featured a performance by local children, who sang Christmas songs to the large audience.

Maxfield made mention that 100% of the donations will go directly to the participating nonprofit organizations.

Comments given by each of the local partners in the Giving Machines included Jim Horning, board chair of the American Red Cross Heart of the Valley; Craig Orona, CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Stanislaus County; Elizabeth Wight, CEO of the Food Initiative of Greater Stanislaus, and Jasmine Corena, Communication Director of the West Modesto Community Collaborative.

Through this global effort to promote the true spirit of the holiday, millions of people both locally and worldwide will be fed, clothed and cared for this coming year. The selfless donations made at Light the World Giving Machines during the 2023 holiday season are also shared with international charity partners, including UNICEF, iDE, and Mentors International.

The program will enrich and transform the lives of both those who give and those who receive. The initiative has proven to be popular throughout the United States, where it began in 2017.

It has expanded to additional cities each year, reaching Modesto this Christmas season. The local Giving Machines can be found at the main entrance of the Vintage Faire Mall from through Jan. 2, 2024.

“Not a single person could be cared for without each Giving Machine participant,” said  Sharon Eubank, director of Humanitarian Services for the Church. “Their loving and unselfish gifts are miraculous. As a Church, we are blessed to sponsor this inspired initiative, and extend our sincere gratitude to all who make it happen. I cannot think of a greater gift we could offer others than to feed, clothe, educate, and shelter our brothers and sisters in need. It is what our Savior Jesus Christ did and what He asks us to do.”