COLUMBUS, Ohio — A new holiday tradition is the new way of giving in town and the organizers said all proceeds go to charity.

Vending machines in Central Ohio at Polaris Fashion Place are there to make a difference.

What You Need To Know

  • Vending machines at Polaris Fashion Place are making a difference

  • Behind the vending machine’s glass door, there are five local charities and two global to choose from

  • They will remain at Polaris for three weeks before being moved to Kenwood town center in Cincinnati

Jim Tressel, former football coach of Ohio State, said it’s in the mall to enhance the holiday shopping experience.

“This is really kind of a unique thing that reminds you when you’re walking around the mall, maybe going to buy holiday gifts for friends and family that there are some other people that maybe we can make a difference for,” Tressel said. “Whether it’s a $10 gift or a $500 gift, whatever suits your abilities, you have the opportunity to help.”

Behind the vending machine’s glass door, there are five local charities and two global to choose from.

“You can support a family in need. You can support your own community,” said Jullie Naporano, vice president of communications for Catholic Social Services. “Catholic Social Services serves 23 counties in central and southern Ohio. We work basically in three categories. We work with seniors, families and persons with disabilities.”

There are choices to help someone find shelter.

Maddie Kanostman, director of communications for the Ronald McDonald house of central Ohio, said they’ve even had people stay there for more than 1,000 days.

“We provide a space for people to stay with zero cost so they can stay as long as they need,” Kanostman said. “The longest family we’ve ever had stay at the Ronald McDonald house stayed for 1103 days.”

The vending machines are staying at Polaris Fashion Place for three weeks, then they’ll transfer them to the Kenwood Town Center in Cincinnati.

Craig Truax said feeding people fresh food is one of the top priorities for the Mid-Ohio Collective.

He said, after all, no one should be left hungry, especially during the holidays.

“The needs are continuing to rise,” Truax said. “We’re distributing roughly 85 million pounds of food this past year, almost 70% of what we’re distributing is fresh food.”