On Saturday, the ICCU Campus in Chubbuck officially welcomed the Light the World Giving Machine to town.  The “Machine” is really a concept, which is why the individual units are not referred to as “giving machines” plural, according to volunteer Kris Mullen.  

“All the money that is collected here will go straight to the charity you choose,” she explained.  “No transaction fees—the church is covering that.”  The church and many volunteers, are also covering the overhead involved in transportation, staffing, and other costs so that the donations are unencumbered.   

In many locations, the space is rented for the event; however, the ICCU campus donated the location for the Giving Machine, and added its own special extras to it.  “If you come at night, it’s so beautiful!” volunteer Mullen added.

This year, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has expanded the Giving Machine to 126 cities in 21 countries, and hopes to continue to expand in the future.  

Matthew S. Holland, General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Church Communication Department said in this week’s “Church News” that “As we share abundantly with others, we experience an abundance of light and joy in our hearts and homes.  This is the true Christmas experience.”

If the process seems like it may be confusing, once you enter the campus the whole concept makes a lot more sense.  Essentially, you choose a specific project to donate toward, benefitting a number of local organizations.  For Southeast Idaho, those organizations include: Aid For Friends, the United Way, Bright Tomorrows, Bannock House, SEICAA, CARE, and Right to Play.  There is information about what each organization’s specific needs and projects are, and a chance to have a picture taken with an oversized card explaining the project.  Donations of course can be made on behalf of others, which is one of the extra dimensions to the perpetuation of the Giving Machine. 

And really, no matter how confused one got, the very helpful army of volunteers would gladly answer any questions that came up.

The landing page for the SE Idaho Giving Machine, where information about how it works, is https://givingmachineeastidaho.org.  In addition to an overall explanation, the site provides a schedule of upcoming performances at the outdoor venue from now until the 30th when the Machine will be packed up for the year.  

The Giving Machine will be in Chubbuck/Pocatello for 15 days before it moves onto Rexburg.  It will also be in Ogden and Logan as part of this year’s Giving Machine event.

During each of the fifteen days it is in place, there is a full schedule of performers from around the area.  There is literally so much regional involvement that the chances of not knowing at least some of the scheduled performers are remote.  The acts primarily involved singing and instrumental music, but juggling and other acts are listed on the event pages as well.