‘Like the wise men of old’: Light the World Giving Machine initiative expands to 126 locations in 2025
‘When we focus our Christmas activities on Him and give gifts of love and service as He did, we fill the world with more light,’ Elder Holland says
By Aimee Cobabe Church News
Light the World Giving Machine kiosks will be in 126 cities — more than ever before — for the 2025 Christmas season.
Several countries will have the bright-red kiosks for the first time: Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Chile, Italy, Japan, Spain and Thailand. In total, Giving Machine kiosks will be in 21 countries and on six continents this year, also more than ever before.
The Light the World annual Christmas initiative of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints allows anyone to purchase goods and services to support those in need.
The purpose of the Light the World global initiative is to celebrate the birth and life of Jesus Christ and embrace His invitation to “love thy neighbour” (Matthew 22:39).
“Like the wise men of old made significant sacrifices to bring and offer gifts to the Savior, Jesus Christ, we are grateful for people all around the world who sacrifice and offer donations to bring joy and light to others,” said Elder Matthew S. Holland, General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Church Communication Department.
‘In essence we are feeding and we are clothing Him’
Speaking to news media on Wednesday, Nov. 12, in the Conference Center on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Elder Holland reminded that “Jesus Christ is the Light of the World.”
“When we focus our Christmas activities on Him and give gifts of love and service as He did, we fill the world with more light,” Elder Holland said. “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.”
Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman, a member of the Missionary Executive Council, said that as she sees people donate at Giving Machine kiosks, she is reminded of Jesus Christ’s teaching in 3 Nephi 18:24: “Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up — that which ye have seen me do.”
Said President Freeman: “He says that when you clothe the naked or when you feed the hungry, in essence we are feeding and we are clothing Him. In those moments, we are His witness.
Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Walker Whiting, 4, tests out a demonstration version of a digital 2025 Light the World Giving Machine kiosk during the Giving Machine initiative’s launch at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. Whiting, of McCammon, Idaho, and his father have been making cookies every week and selling them to raise money to donate at a Giving Machine.
“Knowing they aren’t going to receive it and there’s no expectation that they’re taking something home, but they know they’re giving something to somebody that has a need,” he said. “And to see that in a child is a beautiful thing for me.”
Elder Bassett also told the story of the widow’s mite.
“She had needs of her own, yet she was willing to give,” he said. “And I think that’s what we can do during Christmas, focus on the blessings that we’ve received — particularly the blessings of Jesus Christ in our lives — and how we can bring light to others.”
Global
impact of donations
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints covers all operating costs of the kiosks, making sure that 100% of each donation goes directly to the participating nonprofit organizations.
This year, roughly 3,500 items will be available worldwide from over 600 nonprofit organizations, including 12 global participants:
American Red Cross, Care, Church World Service, Days for Girls International, Lifting Hands International, Mentors International, Right To Play, Special Olympics, Splash, USA for UNHCR, UNICEF and Water for Good.
Items will vary by city, but a typical machine includes food, clean water, clothing, shelter, health care, education support, hygiene kits, bedding, job and career training, and even livestock.
Ana Peña, director of operations at Mentors International, a participating nonprofit organization, said the donations received through Giving Machine kiosks have been “transformative, amazing.”
“All of these families, they are so incredibly grateful,” Peña said of the recipients. “They know that there is sacrifice going into this from a lot of families saving up through the year.”
Mentors International works in 12 countries to help people start their own businesses, often with small items like a chicken, sewing kit or cooking pot donated from the Giving Machine initiative.
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA
ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA
ARLINGTON, TEXAS
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND
AUSTIN, TEXAS
BACOLOD, PHILIPPINES
BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA
BANGKOK, THAILAND
BARCELONA, SPAIN
BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND
BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA
BOISE, IDAHO
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
CALDWELL, IDAHO
CALGARY, ALBERTA
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA
CEBU CITY, PHILIPPINES
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND
CINCINNATI, OHIO
CLEVELAND, OHIO
COLUMBUS, OHIO
DAVAO, PHILIPPINES
DENVER, COLORADO
IOWA CITY, IOWA
DETROIT, MICHIGAN
EL PASO, TEXAS
We become that light that He wants us to hold up for the world, and what a beautiful gift that is at a time when the world is looking for light.”
President Freeman said her family has a tradition to donate at Giving Machine kiosks together each year.
“We’ve done it in different places all over,” she said. “I love that idea of choosing something that will make a difference in somebody’s story. That’s a beautiful gift.”
New, digital kiosk
Another addition to this year’s Giving Machine initiative is the option of a digital kiosk. Just like the kiosks with cards full of donation options, the digital kiosk allows someone to donate using a digital interface.
Sister Kristin M. Yee, second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, demonstrated the new kiosk to news media representatives on Wednesday, noting that they will be available in select cities.
She said the objective of the kiosk remains the same: “To provide a unique and memorable way to follow the example of our Savior, Jesus Christ; to love God and our neighbors as we serve and care for those in need.”
Sister Yee also thanked the many participating nonprofit organizations that work with the Church in these efforts.
“It’s only together that we can do this,” she said.
Good for the giver as well as the receiver
Elder W. Mark Bassett, General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Missionary Department, said as he’s visited Giving Machine kiosks with his own family, he’s seen a light in his grandchildren’s eyes as they’ve selected items to donate.
“A spark of a little bit of capital can really change their trajectory,” Peña said “We have a woman, Martha in Peru, who took three polo shirts and a sewing kit and now she sells uniforms for taxis and school kids.”
Another participating nonprofit organization, the American Red Cross, is able to use donations around the world.
Benjamin Donner, executive director of the American Red Cross in central and southern Utah, said the mission of the American Red Cross to alleviate suffering and the mission of the Church to care for those in need are perfectly aligned.
“We are side by side with the Church,” Donner said. “Not everybody can roll up their sleeves and jump in and go to a disaster and help in a major hurricane or a tornado. … But they can purchase one of these items that enables our volunteers to meet someone where they’re at, … and this brings comfort.”
How one family is taking part
Walker Whiting, 4; his dad, Kody Whiting; and mom, Desiree Whiting, recently turned their family tradition of baking cookies together as a family into a donation.
Kody Whiting said the family has been saving the money from selling cookies to neighbors to donate at a Giving Machine kiosk.
They’ve raised $500 since starting in September.
“It’s really not important where it comes from, it’s more important that people get what they need,” Kody Whiting said.
History of the Giving Machine initiative
Since 2017, nearly $50 million has been donated through the Giving Machine initiative.
During the 2024 Christmas season, approximately 850,000 people visited a Giving Machine. They made more than 490,000 purchases, including 2 million meals for individuals and families in need; 500,000 vaccines for polio and measles; and 106,000 chickens, goats and beehives for families and villagers.
MCKINNEY, TEXAS
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
MERIDIAN, IDAHO
MODESTO, CALIFORNIA
MONTREAL, QUEBEC
NAIROBI, KENYA
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
NEW YORK CITY
OGDEN, UTAH
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA
OMAHA, NEBRASKA
OREM/PROVO, UTAH
ORLANDO, FLORIDA
PANAMA CITY, PANAMA
PERTH, AUSTRALIA
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA
POCATELLO, IDAHO
PORTLAND, MAINE
PORTLAND, OREGON
PRESCOTT, ARIZONA
QUEEN CREEK, ARIZONA
QUERÉTARO, MEXICO
QUETZALTENANGO, GUATEMALA
RENO, NEVADA
REXBURG, IDAHO
RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA
ROME, ITALY
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA
SALT LAKE CITY
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
SAN CLEMENTE, CALIFORNIA
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
ELKO, NEVADA
EUGENE, OREGON
FAIRBANKS, ALASKA
FRESNO, CALIFORNIA
GILA VALLEY, ARIZONA
GILBERT, ARIZONA
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN
GRAPEVINE, TEXAS
GUADALAJARA, MEXICO
GUATEMALA CITY, GUATEMALA
HAMILTON, NEW ZEALAND
HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA
HENDERSON, NEVADA
HILO, HAWAII
HOBART, AUSTRALIA
HONG KONG, CHINA
HONOLULU, HAWAII
HOUSTON, TEXAS
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIFORNIA
HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA
IDAHO FALLS, IDAHO
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI
KENNEWICK, WASHINGTON
KONA, HAWAII
LAHAINA, HAWAII
LAIE, HAWAII
LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA
LOGAN, UTAH
LONDON, ENGLAND
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
MANILA, PHILIPPINES
MCALLEN, TEXAS
SAN LUIS POTOSÍ, MEXICO
SAN SALVADOR, EL SALVADOR
SANTIAGO, CHILE
SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
SHOW LOW, ARIZONA
SNOWFLAKE, ARIZONA
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON
ST. GEORGE, UTAH
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI
SUGAR LAND, TEXAS
SUMMERLIN, NEVADA
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
TACOMA, WASHINGTON
TAMPA, FLORIDA
TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS
THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS
TOKYO, JAPAN
TORREÓN, MEXICO
TUCSON, ARIZONA
TULSA, OKLAHOMA
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA
VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA
VIENNA, AUSTRIA
WACO, TEXAS
WASHINGTON, D.C.
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND
Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Elder Matthew S. Holland, General Authority Seventy and executive director of Church Communication Department, speaks during the launch of the 2025 Light the World Giving Machine initiative at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025.
Christmas Gift Guide
Shop local this holiday season! With so many high-quality brands that call Utah home, there’s no need to look anywhere but here.
By Mekenna Malan Utah Business
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Photo by Sheena Bates for Utah Business
Chocolate bars could be called the “World Friendship” candy.
Why? The ingredients in a chocolate bar come from all around the world. Chocolate makers know the importance of how to speak other languages and respect people from different countries.
Read about chocolate’s three ingredients. Then, color each country on the map to show where each ingredient grows
To find the answers to the two questions, fold the chocolate bars so that arrows meet and the answer will appear!
A chocolate bar starts with cacao (ka KOW) beans, which are the seeds of the cacao tree. Leading producers of cacao include Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Africa. On the map, color these areas BLUE
Strange as it may seem, vanilla is used in the making of chocolate bars and other chocolate products.
CHOCOLATE
Find the words by looking up, down, backwards, forwards, sideways and diagonally.
Cacao seeds grow in large, football-shaped pods about 10 inches long and 3 to 4 inches around. Each pod contains 20 to 40 seeds
The flavor of vanilla comes from the seed pods of the vanilla orchid, a vine that grows in Uganda, Madagascar, Malaysia, Indonesia and Mexico Color these countries RED
Cacao beans are cured, roasted and ground, and formed into solid chocolate Pure chocolate is bitter. Lots of sugar must be added to make it the sweet treat that people around the world love.
India leads the world in sugar production, followed by Brazil and China Color these places YELLOW
CANDY BARS CACAO BEANS VANILLA ORCHID FLAVOR PODS SUGAR VINE SWEET UGANDA CHINA FACTORY SEED
by
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SCAN TO READ THE FULL STORY ON UTAH BUSINESS
Photo
Sheena Bates for Utah Business
GAIN CONFIDENCE
WITH OUR RETIREMENT PLANNING CHECKLIST:
■■ Do I know ways to lower the taxes on my IRA and 401(k) for a more comfortable retirement?
■■ Is my estate protected so I can stay in my own home if I have longterm care expenses?
■■ Will I maintain my purchasing power through high inflation and market volatility?
■■ Do I understand probate and how to avoid it?
■■ Are my assets protected from being forced to surrender to Medicaid?
■■ Has my CPA talked with me about eliminating taxes on my Social Security benefits?
■■ Do I know why a trust may be more effective than a will and why I may need one?
■■ Am I aware of the tax and legal consequences of placing children on my bank accounts or home?
■■ When donating to charity (including tithing) do I donate tax efficiently?
■■ Is my retirement income protected from taxes and inflation, so I don’t outlive it?
