CRS Rice Bowl
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Video by CRS
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News
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February 28CRS Rice Bowl participants have contributed $350 million to ease hunger locally and worldwide since the program’s inception 50 years ago. “It’s miraculous,” said Deacon Kent Ferris, diocesan director of Social Action and of Catholic Charities. The annual Lenten collection helps Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to reduce suffering worldwide and provide assistance to people in need in more than 100 countries, regardless of race, religion or nationality.Read More
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March 31By Lindsay Steele The Catholic Messenger IOWA CITY — A few years ago, a group of St. Patrick Parish members studied Laudato Si’ during Lent. Pope Francis’ encyclical gave the group “a newfound respect for the interconnectedness of everything,” said Diane Platte, the parish’s social action committee chairperson. This Lent, the whole parish is celebrating that interconnectedness through ecological, stewardship, prayer and wellness challenges.Read More
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February 20By Lindsay Steele The Catholic Messenger Helping ease food insecurity locally and abroad can be as simple as putting loose change into a cardboard bank. “Anyone can do this,” diocesan Social Action volunteer Loxi Hopkins said during a virtual Lunch and Learn session Feb. 2, which highlighted the upcoming Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Rice Bowl collection. “I think it’s great for kids in particular because it gives them an opportunity to learn about what’s happening in other countries and in their own neighborhoods.”Read More
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Rice Bowl Grant Recipients History
Rice Bowl Collection: Thank you to all the parishes that participated in the 2023 collectio. We were able to distribute $14,550 in local grants.
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Ash Wednesday, February 18, 2026The Rice Bowl collection begins on Ash Wednesday, February 18 . In 2026 we will journey to Ghana, Guatemala and Timor-Leste. With Lent we have 40 days of preparation. It's a time for prayer, fasting and almsgiving, which culminates in the celebration of Easter.Your financial contribution will make a difference in the lives of our brothers and sisters around the world. Please make a generous donation today and join us in praying that we may grow closer to God by serving one another this Lent: https://brnw.ch/21wFaj8.CRS Rice Bowl Materials: It’s time to finalize order updates for Rice Bowl 2026! Orders from 2025 have rolled over and are already in for 2026, but there is still time to make changes on order quantities, contact information and shipping addresses. Order updates can be sent via postcards, online order form or by calling 1-800-222-0025.Any cancellations or reduction in order quantities must be made by November 15 before the order packing process begins.
The 2026 Rice Bowl program and will begin shipping them in January. You can find the online order form here.
If you have questions or need assistance, you can contact Esmeralda Guerrero at [email protected] -
The Parishes and Catholic Schools across the U.S. participate in the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Rice Bowl Lenten program. Through prayer, fasting, learning and giving, parishioners learn solidarity with families and individuals in other countries. During Lent, Parishioners are asked to contribute to the CRS Rice Bowl collection. These funds further the work of CRS internationally, and support of organizations locally for programs that compliment CRS objectives such as feeding the hungry. The first 25% of the total collection is retained by the Diocese for use as grants to such local organizations. The other 75% assists CRS to address causes of global poverty and hunger. The Bishop appoint a Diocesan Board to allocate the Rice Bowl funds retained for local use. The Board is composed of clergy, religious, and laypeople from around the Diocese, and is chaired by the Diocesan Director for CRS, and is the same Board and Director for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD).
With Lent comes the call of God to reflect on our lives and redirect them toward life in fullness. We are called to love our neighbor!
CRS Rice Bowl provides resources to bring Lenten spirituality to life for families, parishes and school communities while continuing to connect Catholics in our diocese with our global human family.This Lent, we will journey with CRS to Guatemala, Nigeria and Bangladesh to learn about the root causes of hunger, the impact of climate change and how families —with the support of faith communities like yours—are making sure they have nutritious food to thrive.
Through CRS Rice Bowl stories, videos and lesson plans, your community will learn about the global issue of hunger and malnutrition and we will discover how our faith calls us to serve and help those in need.CRS Rice Bowl Planning Timeline
- November 30, 2025: Last day to decrease or cancel orders.
- January 2-15, 2026: Existing orders ship.
- February 1, 2026: The last day for placing orders to arrive by Ash Wednesday.
- February 18, 2026: Ash Wednesday.
- April 20, 2025: Easter Sunday.
- March 20, 2026: Last day orders can be placed to arrive by Easter
- April 5, 2026: Easter Sunday.
- September 2026: Orders are updated for 2027
Countries featured in 2026: Ghana, Guatemala and Timor-Leste go to Stories of Hope to hear their journeys and learn how people are overcoming the causes of hunger.
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How to turn in your CRS Rice Bowl Collection:
The final deadline to submit all funds is May 31st.
Please submit your Rice Bowl collections promptly to:
Diocese of Davenport
Rice Bowl Collection
Attn: Finance Department
780 West Central Park Avenue
Davenport Iowa, 52804-1901
Use the Remittance form when submitting funds. Don’t forget to write CRS Rice Bowl in the memo line of your check! If possible e-mail a copy of the Remittance form to [email protected]
We encourage all parishes to submit their funds as soon as they have them available. We want to allow enough time for parishes and our Finance office to process all funds. The final deadline to submit all funds is May 31st.
25% of the funds stay in the Diocese of Davenport to fund local programs to fight hunger. If funds are not submitted in a timely manner it will affect the total grant distribution at the June meeting. CRS receives 75% of funds to support CRS development project around the world. -
Other ways to donate:
Make a donation to CRS Rice Bowl, the Lenten program of Catholic Relief Services. Can't turn in your bowl? Give online!
To give by phone:
1-877-435-7277
Mail check to:
Diocese of Davenport
CRS - Rice Bowl Collection
Attn: Finance Department
780 W. Central Park Ave
Davenport, IA 52804 -
Holy Week:
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Contact Us:
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Deacon Kent Ferris, OFSferrisdavenportdiocese.orgSocial Action & Catholic Charities Director -
Esmeralda Guerreroguerrerodavenportdiocese.orgAdministrative Assistant Social Action & Catholic Charities
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