All parishioners are encouraged to take the rice bowl and accompanying calendar to their homes and place it on the dinner table or another place that can easily be accessed by the entire family. The rice bowl is symbolically shaped like a bowl of rice because that is what many individuals will eat for the entire day. The calendar is an excellent resource for daily prayers, education about global poverty, fasting suggestions, recipes from other countries, and personal stories of our brothers and sisters all over the world and how CRS is helping them.
Out of all the funds collected, 75% goes to help CRS in its international work to provide clean water, food, education, medical care and non-violence training to our brothers and sisters who are suffering all over the world. This year the focus will be on projects in Kenya, Guatemala, the Philippines, Malawi, and Haiti. The remaining 25% of the funds collected stays right here in the Diocese of San Bernardino to help local poverty and hunger efforts.
When I was working as the Social Concerns minister at a parish in New Mexico, I helped start the Bread & Blessings Sunday meal for those who are homeless out of the church basement. I am very excited that this project was chosen by CRS to be the featured domestic example of a project working to alleviate hunger in the US and one example of the types of ministry that can be funded with the local 25% of the funds collected.
Thank you for your generosity to pray, fast, learn, and give this year with CRS Rice Bowl!! For more information, please visit www.crsricebowl.org.
If you are interested in global solidarity issues, please consider joining our Diocesan Global Solidarity Committee. We meet on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 6 pm at the Pastoral Center. Contact Mike Shawver for more info at 909-475-5468 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..