Light the World Giving Machine placed in Madison Stake to benefit charities

MADISON – Residents, nonprofit partners and local leaders gathered in Madison on April 16 for a special celebration and check presentation for a new installation of a Light the World Giving Machine.

The first local installation for a Giving Machine was a success in charitable giving and was launched with a ribbon cutting at Bridge Street Town Centre during the 2025 holiday season on Nov. 14, 2025. In Madison, the Giving Machine was recently placed in the Madison Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 28354 Powell Road.

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a stake is an administrative unit that comprises multiple congregations, known as wards and branches, within a specific geographic area. The Giving Machines remained open in Huntsville through Dec. 2, 2025. The machines represented an invitation to shoppers to support local and global charities in a meaningful and memorable way.

A Giving Machine offers an interactive way to complete a charitable contribution by using the “reverse vending machine,” according to officials with the Church of Jesus Christ. Instead of purchasing typical vending machine products, donors selected charitable items in support of five local and two global charities.

Donated items include school supplies, clean water, livestock and clothing. Other options for ‘purchases’ from the Giving Machine were shoes for a child; wheelchair ramps that provide home access for senior citizens; or chickens to help lift a family out of poverty. The costs range from $5 to $250.

For every donation, 100 percent of the contribution goes directly to participating nonprofit organizations. The Church of Jesus Christ covers all administrative and operational costs.

For the installation in the Madison Stake, the audience included representatives from participating nonprofit organizations; community leaders and volunteers; and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In 2025. the participating recipient organizations included Free 2 Teach, First Stop, Kids to Love, Enable Madison County and The ELM Foundation.

The Light the World Giving Machine initiative by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints debuted in 2017. The initiative has expanded to more than 100 cities worldwide and has raised more than $44 million to provide hundreds of thousands of items and services to people in need.

For more information, visit GivingMachine. org.