Give to CRS Rice Bowl during Lent

Published: February 10, 2016

For more than 40 years, CRS Rice Bowl has been Catholic Relief Services' (CRS) Lenten program to help those in need in developing countries around the world. Highlighting the Lenten practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, participants put money in their "rice bowls" that they may have otherwise spent on themselves, while learning about and praying for those who go without food on a regular basis. Donations may also be made online.

The program offers a daily reflection calendar, international Lenten recipes and videos online to find out about the daily lives of the people being helped by the rice bowls. Download the CRS Rice Bowl app to get reflections on the Sunday readings, lives of the saints, stations of the cross, seven sorrows of Mary and more. Resources are available in English and Spanish.

CRS is the official overseas relief and development agency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. With the assistance of programs like the rice bowl, CRS serves communities in more than 100 countries worldwide. Catholics in the United States assist 85 million of the world's poorest people through CRS.

Participating parishes and schools in the Diocese of Little Rock are asked to send their donations directly to CRS, which notes the zip code on each donation to determine the diocese from which the money was sent. A special mailing will be sent to parishes and schools to explain how donations should be returned. It includes a poster to advertise collection information, helpful tips for collecting rice bowls and a return envelope.

Twenty-five percent of the money collected from the Diocese of Little Rock will be returned to Catholic Charities of Arkansas to help those in need in Arkansas. For more information about CRS Rice Bowl, please e-mail Rebecca Cargile or call her at (501) 664-0340, ext. 355.