Fighting Hunger: One Rice Bowl at A Time

By Kim Pozniak

Every Lent, millions of Catholics participate in Operation Rice Bowl, Catholic Relief Services' annual Lenten program, which begins on Ash Wednesday. Catholic families, parishes and schools from more than 13,000 communities use symbolic cardboard "rice bowls" as the focal point of their prayer, fasting and learning—and to help people in poverty around the world.

Participants in Operation Rice Bowl make a small sacrifice every week, putting the change they would have spent on food into symbolic rice bowls. That money goes to support CRS' mission to fight global hunger and poverty.

Helping people in need through fasting and almsgiving is a big component of Operation Rice Bowl, but the program also encourages Catholics to help others through prayer and by learning about the factors that cause hunger.

Last year, participants raised more than $7 million for Operation Rice Bowl, 75 percent of which is used to fund projects in 40 countries. The remaining 25 percent stays in U.S. dioceses to support food pantries and soup kitchens.

All photos by Jim Stipe/CRS

Kim Pozniak works as a communications officer for CRS and is based in Baltimore, MD.