Nov 22, 2024
The Light the World Giving Machines have been installed outside AMC Theatres in Tysons Corner Center
This holiday season, shoppers at Tysons Corner Center will be able to buy gifts for local charities as well as their family and friends.
Northern Virginia’s biggest mall was chosen as this year’s host of the Giving Machines, philanthropic vending machines that will be unveiled with a “Grand Unwrapping” event at noon tomorrow (Saturday) outside AMC Theatres (7850 Tysons Corner Center).
Offering items and services that passersby can donate to select local and international nonprofits, the machines are coming to Tysons from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which operates machines in 106 locations around the world during the winter holidays as part of its service-minded “Light the World” initiative.
Launched in 2017, the Giving Machines have inspired $32 million worth of donations for vaccines, chickens, shoes and school supplies and other needs. The initiative expanded to the D.C. area in 2022, with machines first appearing in Kensington, Maryland, and then at Ballston Quarter in Arlington.
“It started out very small, just kind of an experiment to see if this was a way in which people could impact giving and donate and what the effects would be,” Lisa Bartolomei, director of the Giving Machines in the D.C. area, told FFXnow. “…It caught on, and people and different cities have had to petition, literally, to get this initiative in their city.”
Chosen for its heavy foot traffic and central location, Tysons Corner Center will have three Giving Machines — one at the entrance to the third-floor food court from the parking garage and two near the movie theater’s box office — from Nov. 23 through Jan. 2.
The machines will stick around longer than they did in the previous two years, when they began operating the Friday after Thanksgiving and were “unwrapped” the following Tuesday.
Noting that there will be some activities on Giving Tuesday, which falls on Dec. 3 this year, Bartolomei says they decided to start earlier this time after hearing from people who wanted to contribute but missed the shorter window, perhaps because they were traveling for the holidays.
“Because of the demand, we’ve rolled it to Saturday before [Thanksgiving],” she said.
Each row in the vending machines is devoted to a different nonprofit. Chosen through a nomination and vetting process, the participating nonprofits in Tysons include five selected by local organizers, and two with an international focus:
Local:
House of Ruth: A D.C.-based housing and supportive services provider
REACT DC: A nonprofit that resettles refugees in Northern Virginia
Volunteers of America Chesapeake and Carolinas: The regional chapter of a Christianity-driven nonprofit that provides health, housing and human services
Willing Warriors: A nonprofit based in Haymarket that offers cost-free retreats and programs to injured military service members, veterans with disabilities and their families
Young Doctors Project: A nonprofit with locations in D.C. and Roanoke that provides education and mentorship to male teens of color interested in health care careers
International:
Catholic Relief Services: A humanitarian agency run by the Catholic Bishops of the U.S. that supports health, education and other projects overseas
Mentors International: A nonprofit that provides workforce training and other resources to help people experiencing poverty
Options for donations vary depending on the nonprofit, from sewing materials or a baby goat to support the entrepreneurs assisted by Mentors International to a backpack with school supplies or food to feed a family for a week for Volunteers for America.
Because the operating costs of the Giving Machines are covered by the Church, all of the donated funds go to the nonprofits, Bartolomei stressed. Tysons Corner Center’s machines will have staff present to answer questions and provide assistanace.
“If someone donates $15, that $15 towards toys and games or whatever it is, goes directly to the nonprofit,” Bartolomei said. “I really like the cleanliness of that and the confidence that that brings. That’s a big deal to me.”
For the nonprofits, inclusion in the Giving Machines helps raise awareness, which can be just as crucial as monetary support, particularly for a newer organization like REACT DC.
Started in September 2021 by volunteers looking to help the thousands of Afghan refugees who arrived in Northern Virginia after the Taliban took back control of their home country, REACT DC was officially approved by the U.S. State Department as a refugee resettlement agency last year, according to CEO Sarah Cady.
Funded initially by a one-time grant from the International Rescue Committee, the organization has resettled 150 people so far and estimates that it’ll resettle another 200 people next year. It also offers employment and legal services as well as a women’s empowerment program that’s funded by the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints.
This is the group’s first year participating in the Giving Machines.
“In places like Northern Virginia where the cost of living is very high, we rely on donations to make sure families have what they need,” Cady said. “So, this year, we’re offering several items in the Giving Machines, including child education packs, hygiene sanitation kits, cooking supplies, job training and micro-enterprise kits.”
In addition to donations, the nonprofit relies on volunteers and sponsors who can assist new arrivals. Any community members who are interested in helping can visit REACT DC’s website, Cady says.
Cady admits REACT DC is “concerned” by president-elect Donald Trump’s impending return to the White House after he previously cut back the number of refugees admitted into the U.S. However, she hopes the new White House administration will continue the bipartisan support that the refugee resettlement program has historically enjoyed.
“The refugee resettlement program is a humanitarian program first and foremost, but refugees bring an amazing skill set to the United States. They contribute to the economy, they bring their culture, their kids are in school,” Cady said. “… We’re really excited that we’re part of the Light the World Giving Machine campaign so people who might not know about resettlement can support new arrivals.”
🔗 https://www.ffxnow.com/2024/11/22/charitable-vending-machines-find-home-at-tysons-corner-center-for-winter-holidays/