It is fascinating that a church with such a deep tradition would come up with such a modern idea to help people in need, said Hawaii's Governor-elect Josh Green about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint's Giving Machines.
Last year, one Giving Machine in Hawaii raised over $140,000, said Honolulu Hawaii West Stake President Taran Chun at the Giving Machine opening ceremony at the Pearlridge Shopping Center on Saturday, Nov. 19. Chun hopes they can raise even more funds this year for local organizations.
A representative from one of the organizations benefiting from the machines, En Young, said, “I’ve been working in nonprofits for some time and - agencies are great, they always show up. But what struck me about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that it’s not about increasing the mana, or power, of the church. It's about increasing the impact in the community.
Having God there
The ceremony began with a prayer, given by Captain Eric Reynolds, a U.S. Army chaplain at Tripler Army Medical Center.
“Lord of the universe, you have given most of mankind a strong desire to do good, to be honest, to serve others and to faithfully fulfill their obligations to our neighbors. Just as these machines are instruments, we too are instruments to be used to show your love this holiday season,” he prayed.
“We pray for those who would be the recipients of the Giving Machines, whose motto is ‘Light the World.’
“Use us, oh God, to light the world with more hope.
“Use us, oh God, to light the world with more love.
“Use us, oh God, to light the world with more examples of how to give than to receive.”
Where the donations are going
Four local organizations are the benefactors of the Giving Machines’ donations. The U.S. Vets of Hawaii is one of them. Thirty years ago, the nonprofit started with the goal to end veteran homelessness. Tatsu Sasaki, development and communications manager for the organization, said that 10 percent of Hawaii’s homeless population are veterans.
Fifteen years ago, the U.S. Vets of Hawaii opened a shelter in Waianae to help local homeless families, said Sasaki. He said the shelter is currently serving 300 individuals, and 75 of them are keiki, or children. “The Giving Machine will help support food, shelter, workforce development, mental health counseling and removing the barriers that prevent these families from leading a sustainable life,” explained Sasaki.
Pacific Gateway Center is another of the organizations benefiting from the Giving Machines. It helps immigrants and refugees coming to Hawaii. “This year we have over 100 Ukrainian families that we are helping with housing, employment and paperwork,” said En Young, the executive director of the organization. He said they also work with local families, helping them start small businesses.
Damien Kim, a board chair at Adult Friends for Youth, explained how their organization works with high risk youths involved in violence and crime. “Most people have given up on these kids,” said Kim. “We take negative behavior and turn it into positive behavior. AFY helps them heal.”
The last organization is Family Programs of Hawaii. Keith Kuboyama, president and CEO of Family Programs, said they are a distinct shelter. “When children can’t live with their families, the state can put them with us,” he explained. “What’s unique about us is when we are given large families we make sure the siblings stay together.”
How it all came together
The first Giving Machines in Hawaii started at the Polynesian Cultural Center in 2019, said Mufi Hannemann, the master of ceremonies for the launch event. Wanting to expand to a larger audience, Hannemann said he reached out to David Cianelli, the Pearlridge Shopping Center general manager, last year. “When Mufi first told me about the vending machines I thought, ‘This is very novel, very different,’” said Cianelli. “It struck me that this is very in line with Pearlridge Center’s goal of giving back to the community.”
Hannemann said after last year’s success, they wanted to keep going with the machines. “To make sure we came back, we asked [Cianelli] if we could store our machines at [the Center], and that’s exactly what we did,” Hannemann said as the audience laughed.
When Hannemann needed some people with more sway in the community to help get the project off the ground, he said the Greens, the governor-elect and his wife, stepped up immediately. Green grew up in Pittsburg with a Russian Orthodox mother and a Jewish father, he told the crowd. “When I married into the family of a woman who was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it was a blessing,” he said. “It opened my eyes to a new space of love and giving and community.”
