Columbus vending machine company dishes out charitable donations alongside snacks
They eat your quarters. They’re out of Doritos. Your Zebra Cakes get stuck on the way down from B5. There’s nothing quite like a bad vending machine to ruin your afternoon in the smallest and weirdest of ways.
Time to meet Good Vending.
Founded in Bexley this past fall, this unique new company does exactly what its name suggests: good. With vending machines.
“We’re the only vending machine company—not only in the Columbus area but the entire country—that is specifically created to raise money for local charities,” said co-founder Mike Davis, who created the company alongside Anthony Susi.
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In terms of function, Good Vending offers a similar array of snack food and prices relative to other local machines. But their mission is way bigger than pretzels and bottled water.
Today, there are nearly 50 Good Vending machines in the Columbus area, and all of them work with a charity partner to donate a portion of proceeds to a number of local programs and charities.
Right now, there’s a pair of Good Vending machines (one for ice cream, the other for snacks) in Bexley High School that helps fund the school’s arts programs. Others support the Parks & Recreations Departments of Worthington and Westerville. Their newest machine, located at Highpoint on Columbus Commons, is helping to end hunger in Columbus by donating proceeds to the Bishop Griffin Resource Center.
And the sheer variety of causes supported by Good Vending is part of the company’s draw. They allow their partners—the entities behind wherever their machines are installed—to determine what charities or programs receive support.
Columbus companies are jumping on the bandwagon fast, and understandably so.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Good Vending Company, and we are looking forward to expanding the relationship to our other properties,” said Oak Property Management, another Good Vending partner.
According to Davis, the company’s goal for 2021 is to see $1 million donated to local charities supported through Good Vending.
And while this is an achievable task, it’s going to take its fair share of work.
“To reach that one million dollars, we would probably have to have around 1,000 machines or so installed in the Columbus area,” Davis said.
If you’d like to help Good Vending meet this mark, and you’re fundraising for a charity, project, or other worthy cause, the company is welcoming open solicitations to accrue new partners. You can pitch your cause through their request forms here.
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