NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – ‘Twas the month before Christmas and all through the town, people were talking about something they found.
“This is such a cool idea,” Chris Whitney, Founder of One Generation Away said. “It’s like, why didn’t I think of that?”
Three new machines sit near Bridgestone Arena with care, in hopes that someone will donate and graciously share.
“With each of these machines, we have the opportunity to help those in Nashville to donate to five local charities and two global charities represented in the machines,” Carla Parker, Director of Nashville’s Giving Machines said.
With the swipe of a card, you can help those in need; buy a book, even meals, all to do a good deed.
“A lot of people lost their income. A lot of people lost jobs; this is going to help some of those families out. There’s opportunities for coats for kids, school supplies, toys for Christmas that maybe parents couldn’t have done,” David Sledge, President of The Tennessee Voluntary Organizations Active In Disaster said. “They can say, ‘Hey, you know here’s a nice Christmas gift for someone. Maybe I’ll never meet them and that’s okay, and its an easy way to do it.'”
Buy a coat, a goat, a snack or a seat, this new initiative in Nashville truly can’t be beat.
Gifts range in price depending on what you choose, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to charities to use.
Local and international charities represented are:
- ABLE Youth – Leads children with physical disabilities to become independent.
- Elmahaba Center – Provides services to immigrants of Arabic-speaking countries.
- One Generation Away – Distributes food to Middle Tennessee and surrounding states.
- Nashville International Center for Empowerment (NICE) – Empowers refugees and immigrants with education, resettlement, health, employment and more.
- Sleep in Heavenly Peace – Builds beds for children otherwise sleeping on the floor.
- UNICEF – Saves children’s lives in over 190 countries.
- Care – Provides life saving services for women and girls.
Since 2017, there have been 900,000 transactions with 9.1 million dollars raised throughout the nation. Nashville is one of ten U.S. cities with a Giving Machine this year.
Visitors can experience Light the World Giving Machines from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily starting November 18 and through December 31, 2021. For more information about the event schedule or items inside the machines, please visit GivingMachinesNashville.org.
