POCATELLO — The Light the World Giving Machine initiative is returning to East Idaho this November, bringing its kiosks that dispense donations of chickens, seeds, school supplies, hot meals and clothing to Pocatello, Rexburg and Idaho Falls.
Through the initiative, sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as part of its Christmas-season Light the World campaign, shoppers can "purchase" a donation, such as livestock, clothing, meals and medical care, from global and area nonprofit organizations for people in need locally and around the world. Each item is displayed on a card with a price tag at the kiosks, much like items in a concession-stand vending machine.
This year's Pocatello-area initiative will again pair two international relief organizations with a slate of local nonprofits.
The Pocatello kiosks will officially launch Nov. 13 at 6 p.m., coinciding with a tree-lighting ceremony at ICCU headquarters. The initiative will then run Nov. 14 through Nov. 29, daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., including Sundays and Thanksgiving.
On Thanksgiving, organizers are planning a "tater trot" starting at 10 a.m. at the ICCU headquarters with an entrance fee of a donation at the Giving Machine kiosk. The tater trot builds on the event's success last year, when roughly 400 people took part.
Items will range in price from $10 to $130, organizers said, though donors may give whatever they can, including the "777 challenge," which purchases the entire catalog of items available in that specific machine in a single transaction.
Two international nonprofits will anchor the Pocatello program this year: Mentors International and Days for Girls.
Mentors International, which works with micro-entrepreneurs in low- and middle-income countries, partnered with local mentors last year to reach 40,000 small-business owners across 30 countries.
Participants saw increased savings and reduced debt after receiving training alongside gifts given through the program, such as chickens, goats and farming kits. Those donations have totaled more than 20,000 bags of seeds and nearly 15,000 chickens worldwide.
Mentors International items include a farming business kit, which helps launch a family's agriculture business with seeds and entrepreneurial training, and a pair of chickens that include business mentoring.
The Days for Girls nonprofit combats period poverty, which the organization says affects roughly 500 million women and girls globally. It provides washable, reusable period kits along with menstrual health education, and reached 28,000 girls in its first year participating in the initiative.
Days for Girls items include two types of menstrual kits, one that assists girls in attending school or higher education and a new mothers kit designed to support a parent with a newborn. The last item is menstrual health education, which provides funding for vital health and hygiene classes that break the stigma around menstruation.
Five local nonprofits will also be participating this year.
Family Services Alliance supports survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, stalking and human trafficking, working to empower, protect and help survivors heal.
Family Services Alliance items include $10 for healthy snacks, $15 for calming supplies, $25 for a safety lock, $30 for a safe night bundle and $60 for a survivor kit.
The Pocatello Free Clinic has served uninsured adults since 1971 and now runs three locations, including a mobile clinic reaching agricultural workers. The clinic has seen an 80 percent increase in unduplicated patients since 2021.
Pocatello Free Clinic items include $20 for prescription medication for low-income patients, $40 for a counseling session, $50 for dental care, $30 for a diabetes kit and $90 for a medical examination.
The School District 25 Education Foundation, a 41-year district partner, supports more than 11,000 students, funding winter gear, transportation, laundry access and extracurricular sponsorships for students facing hardship.
School District 25 Education Foundation items include $45 for winter clothing gear, $50 to sponsor an extracurricular activity, $25 for transportation assistance, $80 for bedtime essentials and $20 for four loads of laundry.
The Idaho Foodbank distributes food statewide. One in seven East Idahoans struggles to afford food, and funds raised through the initiative support a rural mobile pantry, a weekend backpack program, school pantries, senior meal deliveries and bulk meat purchases.
Idaho Foodbank items include $12 for a weekend food bag, $43 for a week of groceries, $27 for a month of meals, $25 for 50 senior meals and $76 for 500 pounds of meat.
The United Way of Southeastern Idaho supports ALICE families — Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed households that earn too much to qualify for public assistance but still struggle to cover basic expenses. The organization reinvested nearly $800,000 into the community last year, aiding about 34,000 individuals.
United Way of Southeastern Idaho items include $15 for meal delivery, $30 for early learning access, $130 for utility assistance, $13 for a ride to a health care provider and $10 for a new book.
A volunteer planning meeting for kiosk managers is set for Sept. 17 over Zoom to coordinate staffing and publicity ahead of the launch.
For more information on the Pocatello Light the World Giving Machines, visit givingmachineeastidaho.org/pocatello.