ATLANTA, Georgia — Rain fell intermittently as pedestrians walked up and down Beeline Boulevard at a popular dining and retail destination called The Interlock on a Saturday night in early December in Atlanta, Georgia.
Many noticed the bright red Light the World Giving Machines and the crowd gathered near the sidewalk, but few of those walking by stopped. As a volunteer at the Giving Machines that evening, my job was to invite passersby to see what this was all about.
“It’s like a vending machine,” I would say to those who made eye contact with me, “but instead of buying yourself a soda or candy bar, you can buy an item for someone in need.”
Holding my umbrella in one hand and a laminated “menu” with pictures of items in the Giving Machines in the other hand, I’d point to a few examples — a goat or chickens for a family in Africa, or a book or new shoes for children down the street in Atlanta.
Some people kindly responded with a “No, thank you” or “I’m running late,” while others ignored the invitation. Admittedly I wondered if standing in the rain talking to strangers on the street was worth it.
Then something surprising happened — a man who said he wasn’t interested came back.
After he made a donation at the Giving Machine, I introduced myself and thanked him for coming by. He said his name was Henry and he had recently moved from Maryland to Atlanta to attend Georgia Tech.
I told him I had noticed him walking by the Giving Machines a few minutes earlier. “What made you want to come back?” I asked.
He was quiet for a few moments. Then he responded with emotion in his voice: “I thought, ‘I got something to give.’”
“I was feeling the holiday spirit, I guess,” he added with a smile.
He was impressed when he learned that 100% of what he donated to the Giving Machine will go to the cause he selected because The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints covers all operational costs.
“The Church of Jesus Christ does this?” he asked. “That’s really cool.”
It was a brief but tender conversation that gave added meaning to my volunteer experience at the Giving Machines that night. I saw firsthand how the Giving Machines provide a way for people to experience the joy of giving and have a touchpoint with the Church — and with the Savior — that perhaps they wouldn’t have otherwise.
In her talk during the 2023 First Presidency Christmas Devotional, Sister Tracy Y. Browning, second counselor in the Primary general presidency, talked about how a variety of Christmas symbols invite us to look for and remember Jesus Christ.
She said remembering Jesus Christ this season comes as we convey Christmas greetings to friends, family and strangers; give gifts as expressions of love; be generous to those in need; and emphasize the importance of traditions that make Christmas different and distinct — all things I witnessed as people visited the Giving Machines in Atlanta.
“Even our strengthened desire to be more charitable at this time of year can call attention to our intention to remember to be grateful,” Sister Browning said.
Thinking about the experiences of the thousands of people who have visited or will visit the 61 Giving Machine locations worldwide this Christmas season and the countless lives that will benefit from the items purchased, the Giving Machines became a symbol to me that helped me remember and be grateful for Jesus Christ — “the true Giver.”
My volunteer efforts became more than worth it when I remembered Him.
“In all that we give emphasis to at this time of year,” Sister Browning said, “with every greeting we convey, for every person we bear in mind, let us not fail to remember the true Giver — He who never forgets us and gives us power to remember Him through His Spirit, at Christmastime and all the time.”
— Sydney Walker is a correspondent for the Church News and assistant communications director for the Church’s Georgia Atlanta North Coordinating Council.
