Walk into the Queensgate Fairchild Cinemas in Richland, and one of the first things you’ll notice this holiday season are two giant, red vending machines.
These aren’t the sort to dole out chips and candy. They’re known as giving machines, filled with items to donate to local and international charities.
“First, you put in the number of what item you want,” volunteers instructed people studying the machines.
Dozens of donation options at varying prices line the rows of the giving machines, like work shoes or a day of meals. A donation of sports equipment was 8-year-old Nate Davenport’s favorite selection.
Nate said he likes helping people — and intentionally picked this donation.
“I like playing sports, and I think other kids would like playing them too,” Nate said.
His family carefully studied the options before each member selected donations. Local charities include Grace Clinic, Grace Collective, Lutheran Community Services Northwest, Safe Harbor Support Center and Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties.
Meggan Tjarks is the special events and corporate engagement director with the local Boys & Girls Club. She said this is the first time she’s seen this sort of easy donation in the Tri-Cities.
“During this time of year, we're given a lot of options, right? To send things to people around the world, but to know that you actually have a huge impact here locally is amazing,” she said.
In its first week in the Tri-Cities, the giving machines collected at least $10,000, she said. They’ll find out the specific donations for each charity later.
“ We can't promise the world to every child, but we definitely can make them feel empowered and give them the tools that they need to see bright futures,” Tjarks said, of the clubs’ donation selections.
The program is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Light the World initiative.
Once people make a selection, a cardboard picture of their donation falls to the bottom of the machine.
Fourteen-year-old Lydia Brooks and her family selected water treatment for a village, one of the international picks and mental health counseling. She said her family came to the movie theater just to donate to the giving machines.
“Helping people felt really cool,” Lydia said. “I’ve never actually been to a vending machine, so this was a good first experience.”
As the line for tickets grew, so did the number of people selecting donations. Santa waved to everyone who entered the theater. Other musical groups and some of the sponsored organizations will also be onsite throughout the weekend.
The Tri-Cities’ giving machines will stick around through Dec. 10. It heads to Spokane Dec. 12. Giving machines can also be found in Seattle, Tacoma, Portland and Eugene.
