As Lent commences on Ash Wednesday Feb. 18, Catholics are encouraged to participate in its three pillars – praying, fasting and almsgiving. And part of that generosity can include fighting hunger and poverty with the help of Catholic Relief Services.
CRS Rice Bowl is the Lenten program of Catholic Relief Services, the official relief and development agency of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The cardboard boxes for collecting spare change, ever-present in Catholic parishes and schools during Lent since 1975, are a visual reminder of how every sacrifice, no matter how small, contributes to the lifesaving support of those most in need – both locally and around the world.
The Diocese of Trenton will receive 25% of each donation to fight hunger and poverty locally, while 75% supports vital Catholic Relief Services programs around the world.
More than 11,400 faith communities in the U.S. participate in CRS Rice Bowl, with $350 million donated in 50-plus years. The donations have helped more than 210 million people worldwide.
In addition to the cardboard rice bowls themselves, the program offers daily reflections, stories of hope, meatless recipes from the featured countries, bilingual posters and video collections. Resources may be found at crsricebowl.org and crsplatodearroz.org.