What You Need to Know About The 2021 Denver Giving Machines

Denver is one of just ten cities around the world to host the Giving Machines – a novel way to support local and global charities.

Where Are The Machines Located?

Four machines will be installed in a single location in Downtown Denver. They will be hosted at Writer Square on the 16th St Mall. The address is 1504 Larimer Street. Click here for more information about the location, parking, and public transportation.

When Can I Visit The Machines?

The machines will be open 24 hours a day from Nov 22, 2021, through January 1st, 2022.

How Do The Machines Work?

The machines are set up just like a vending machine. The cards in the vending machine racks represent individual items available to donate.

When you make a donation at the machine one of the cards representing the item(s) you donated will fall down into a collection area.

The actual donations are counted electronically and the individual charities receive the donation checks from The Church of Jesus Christ after the new year.

What Can I Donate At The Machines?

At the machines, six different charities are represented and each has five items available that you can donate. The six charities include four local organizations and two global ones.

Charities:

• The Crowley Foundation
• Denver Rescue Mission
• JFS
• Project Worthmore
• CARE
• United Nations Refugee Agency

Learn more about the Denver Giving Machines charities.

Items available for donation range in cost from $5 to $173 and any single transaction is limited to $1500.

See the full list of items in the Denver Giving Machines.

How Much Of My Donation Will The Charity Receive?

100 percent of your donation will go to the charity you select. For an example of you donate a pig, here’s what happens:

You pay $100. Credit card merchants charge a transaction fee that varies between 2 and 5% so for example if the fee were 5% then $95 would be received into the LDS Charities fund.

The church covers that transaction fee and provides $100 to the designated charity.

If that charity has administrative fees or costs necessary in order to get the piglet to the end consumer those will also be covered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints up to 10% (and the charities do not have administrative costs in excess of 10%). So the Church would cut a check to the charity for $110 and $100 of that $110 will purchase piglets.

The long story short is that your exact dollar donation amount will go toward the thing you donated.

What Forms Of Payment Are Accepted?

All major credit cards are accepted. Cash and check are not accepted.

Can I Donate Without Visiting The Machines?

Each of the charities represented accepts donations directly. If you are unable to visit the machines in person we encourage you to contact one or more of these charities directly to make a donation.

There is no way to donate via the machines without visiting the machines

How Can I Prepare For My Visit To The Machines?

If possible, visit the machines during the day for the best chance at making a donation without waiting in line. 

Visit this website and plan out your donation in detail to limit how long it will take you to make your actual donation at the machines. Given the anticipated wait lines, making your donation plans in advance will help limit how long others will have to wait in line.

Plan to snap a few pictures and share your experience with your friends and networks on social media with the hashtag #DenverGivingMachines and or #LightTheWorld.

How Can I Volunteer And Help With The Machines?

Volunteers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have already been assigned to man the machines and help visitors make their donations.

The biggest and most significant way to support the Giving Machines effort is to invite a friend or neighbor to visit the machines with you and make a donation. Then share your experience with others.

Lastly, remember the Giving Machines are a small part of the larger #LightTheWorld campaign, encouraging all people worldwide to serve others the way Jesus Christ did.

Visit lighttheworld.org and learn more about how you can spread the light of Christ this holiday season!