If the hole is there, than a piece of a metal coathanger would work. If you don't have pliers or wire cutters, do you have a crochet hook that would fit? If I was desperate and it sounds like you are, I could split a piece off one half of a wooden clothes pin. I would use a kitchen paring knife to whittle the end to fit the hole.
If there is no hole, a coffee cup set behind the machine could hold your spool of thread.