What used to sell cans of soda or bags of chips are now full of items ranging from $5 to $125 — with proceeds going directly to local and global charities. These bright red, holiday-spirited vending machines, called Giving Machines, will be at the Gathering Place during their open hours until Dec. 8.
Giving Machines, a global initiative by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are a part of the church’s goal to do an act of kindness every day during the Christmas season, according to Mont McNeil, coordinator of the Tulsa Giving Machine initiative.
“It provides a blessing to people, as we sometimes call it, on both sides of the glass,” McNeil said. “A person standing on this side of the glass of the Giving Machine has the great feeling in their heart that they’re changing somebody’s life in a good way. The person on the other side of the glass is receiving a blessing from somebody that they’ll never meet but actually makes their life better.”
At the machines located on the patio near Williams Lodge, you can purchase cards to provide hot meals, a hot shower, job starter kits, hygiene items, winter clothing, bottled water, plants, produce, crafts for kids and more, according to the Giving Machine website. This year, the Tulsa Giving Machine is partnering with six local charities and two global ones:
- Food on the Move
- BeHeard Foundation
- Soldier’s Wish
- Owasso Community Resources
- Kids’ Space of Muskogee
- Agape Mission of Bartlesville
- Lifting Hands International
- Special Olympics
Tulsa’s Giving Machine initiative launched last year and raised over $100,000 from 2,140 gifts. This year’s charities were chosen in the spring and will receive donations in early 2026. You can apply to be a partner charity or nominate one here.
Using this vending machine is just like any other. You select the items you want to donate, pay with credit card or mobile payment — cash is not accepted — and then watch your card fall to the bottom. Volunteers will table every day to take photos, if you’d like, since you cannot keep the card yourself.
The entire donation will go toward your charity of choice. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will cover credit card fees if you cannot.
“As I think about the machine, I don’t think about a card, I think about the individual,” Evan Dougoud, founder of the homelessness services provider BeHeard Foundation, said during the Tulsa Giving Machine launch event Wednesday.
He referenced a client who said her shower at a BeHeard facility was her first in nine months.
“Your giving is not just to a card, but individuals and families,” Dougoud said.
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