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Giving Machines return to Charlotte for holiday season

The unique machines are filled with needed items and services for families in need.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For the second year in a row, Light The World Giving Machines have returned to Charlotte aiming to help struggling families this holiday season. 

The "Light the World Giving Machines” are filled with goods and services to assist those who need it most this holiday season.

The machines are located at the Promenade on Providence shopping complex. 

Each giving machine has goods and services that range from $5 to more than $200. Each option is a much-needed item that will go support local and global charities. 

This year, the Charlotte Giving Machines will support three local nonprofits:

  • Baby Bundles blesses new mothers in need by giving them a bag full of necessities – baby outfits, blankets, burp cloths, bibs, developmental toys and the like – as they leave the hospital with their newborn.  
  • Beds for Kids provides beds and essential furniture to children and their families in need through a network of over 40 referral agencies across the Charlotte region.
  • The Relatives is Mecklenburg County’s sole emergency shelter serving youth and adolescents. Additionally, it operates On-Ramp, a drop-in resource center for young adults seeking help making the successful evolution from youth to independent adult.

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Sharing the gift of giving is exactly why Rachel Saunders wanted to bring her family as well. 

“We came to check out the giving machines and to be able to have my kids look at the machines and see be more involved in the giving of the Christmas season," Saunders said. 

Volunteers with the Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints help station the giving machines. 

“We all have this desire of, of, you know, human dignity that we all can, you know, love our neighbor, and this is just an easy way for us to come together. And it's just huge the impact that these machines have," Anderson, a member of the church, said.

The convenient tool has spread across 61 cities in both the U.S. and internationally. Each machine. Each item. Helping several families along the way. 

"This is a way that like each person can make an impact that I don't have to feel like I am just like one of the masses and like how can I make a difference like this is a tangible way that I can make a difference in somebody else's life,” Saunders said.

Visitors can see and donate through the Charlotte Light The World Giving Machines from Dec. 14 through Jan. 1 at the Promenade on Providence.

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