News

'Giving Machines' for holiday donations surpass expectations in Denver

January 6, 2020

Vending machines in downtown Denver that allowed people to select an item to donate to the needy collected $625,000 worth of donations by the end of December, according to a report on thedenverchannel.com. The glassfront machines, known as "Giving Machines," were placed at the 16th Street Mall in early December.

Donors selected items they wanted to donate, then paid with a credit card. Items included blankets, meals soap, 10 days' groceries, three chickens and more. The items ranged in price from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars. 

A spokesperson for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which came up with the idea, said there were roughly 24,000 donations, which tripled the organizers' expectations. This was the first year the idea has been tested.

The donations will be provided to nonprofit organizations.