ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — On the second floor of the mall, not far from Macy's, stand three tall red vending machines. The well-lit units look like something you would buy soda or chips from, but they don't just sell anything.
Shoppers can look over the rows of items charities need kind of like a real-life Amazon wish list.
"100% of what someone donates goes to the charity that they designated," beams Brandon Bezzant with the St. Louis Missouri Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
When a shopper chooses an item card, the machine charges their card and the card drops to the bottom of the machine. There's no flap to take the card out, instead a glass shows off what everyone has donated.
The options vary, everything from sheep for international families to coats for children in St. Louis. The machines sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints support five local charities and three international charities.
The machines didn't go up quietly, there was a large ceremony on Wednesday afternoon.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson spoke to the gathered crowd and joked, "I want to make something very clear, just because this is the Church of the Latter Day Saints and some of us baptists, and some us catholics and some of us pentecostals, there is one thing I want you all to know, these machines will take all of our money."
After the unveiling, Parson stepped up to donate, "We did $57 because I am the 57th governor."
St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page also donated and urged St. Louisans to do the same.
"I know that residents in our community are going to rise to the challenge of helping others in a directed way," he said.
The Giving Machines will be at West County Center through Jan. 1.