Vending machine in Ammon called ‘The Miracle Box’ provides opportunities for community to donate to local charities

AMMON — A local foundation is hoping to spread awareness of a new way to donate to local charities this holiday season.

Brothers Mark and Curtis Johnson are members of the Bearing the Light Foundation, a foundation that works with local teachers to fulfill the unmet needs of students. This year, the foundation wanted to do “something bigger” at Christmas time so they decided to introduce “The Miracle Box” to the community.

The members of the foundation were inspired by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Giving Machines, which are vending machines where people can make donations to global and local charities where the machine is located. There are currently no Giving Machines sponsored by the church in Idaho.

“We’re doing the same concept, (but) not using the same name,” Mark told EastIdahoNews.com. “We wanted a way to have people be able to make donations at Christmas time in an easier fashion, so they can go and donate to several different local charities.”

The Miracle Box is located inside the Broulims in Ammon in between the doors where people exit. There are various cards inside the machine with items (and prices) on them that are available for community members to purchase for those in need.

Some of the items are hygiene kits, school shoes, pet vaccines, newborn welcome home baskets, baby formula and diapers for one month, money to help families heat their home and meals for the hungry.

“You’ll go to the machine, you’ll see the card (for example, 50 meals for the Idaho Falls Soup Kitchen) and it’ll give you a little description once you click on it,” Mark explained. “If you want to purchase it, you’d swipe your card, and the card that you purchased would fall to the bottom. That donation will be sent to the Idaho Falls Soup Kitchen.”

Curtis added, “One hundred percent of what you donate … goes to that organization to help do exactly what you bought. The Bearing the Light Foundation is covering all the credit card processing fees and any operating costs.”

The foundation has also teamed up with between 14 to 16 different local businesses that are matching every donation processed on their assigned day.

“This is a great way to see your dollar go further than it would on its own because every dollar you donate gets matched,” Mark said. “If you donate $50, in essence, you really contributed $100 because these businesses are not going to contribute if the public doesn’t.”

Mark and Curtis would like to see The Miracle Box continue every year and are hoping the public gets involved so the donations can grow.

“The more people we can get to this box, the more we can do for our community in such a short time,” Curtis said. “We feel like it’s such an important thing to do to help each of these people (and charities) out.”

The Miracle Box will stay up and running until Christmas Day. If you can’t make it in person to The Miracle Box, donations can be made here.