SALT LAKE CITY — The pennies, nickels, dimes and dollars placed in Rice Bowls throughout the United States during Lent add up to wells in Ethiopia, stopping tuberculosis in East Timor and providing clean water in Pakistan, among many other projects to fight poverty throughout the world. CRS Rice Bowl, previously known as Operation Rice Bowl, was renamed this year to increase awareness of the work done by Catholic Relief Services, the charitable arm of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that oversees this annual Lenten collection. CRS serves 100 million people each year in almost 100 countries worldwide. "I’ve seen firsthand the work that they’ve done. It’s just extraordinary. It’s extensive, it’s multifaceted," said the Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City, who is a member of the CRS board of directors. For example, he visited a school in Tanzania where children are taught proper hygiene to prevent cholera, which kills thousands of people each year in developing countries. With each project, CRS provides the material and expertise, but the local people do the work and are trained to maintain the equipment. For example, for a deep-bore well to serve 15 villages in Ethiopia, villagers built roads for access, laid pipe, created a reservoir and also terraced the hillsides so rainwater would seep into the ground to replenish the aquifer. Anna Huth, a CRS relationship manager based in Texas, visited one of the villages where the well water had been available for less than a year. She asked if any significant changes had occurred in that short amount of time. "Immediately, the spokesperson of the village, his eyes filled with tears, and the villagers standing around hung their heads – not in shame but in sheer emotion. You could feel it," she said. "And we stayed silent until they got their hearts together again, and when he could speak again, the spokesman just said, ‘None of our children died this year.’ They had always had children die of dirty water, and this was the first time ever that they had not had their children die. And then he went on to say ‘None of our elderly died this year. None of our sick died this year.’ He was going through their vulnerable population. And then he said, ‘No one died this year.’" Now, although that region is in drought, the farmers are able to grow food, whereas before, drought always meant famine, Huth said. "That’s the type of difference that CRS Rice Bowl makes around the world. It really makes it possible that we help our brothers and sisters be alive today. Literally, we fast so that others can eat." Participating in CRS Rice Bowl "fits beautifully into our Lenten observances," Bishop Wester said. "It’s a way of connecting our sacrifice – for example, fasting – to our almsgiving. We sacrifice, which gives us more money to give to others." Giving alms is a way to show solidarity, not superiority, Bishop Wester said. "Giving to others is a reminder that the Body of Christ is poor, so we are poor. As long as there is somebody poor in the Church, I’m poor. We’re all one. As long as there’s somebody in need, I’m in need. Giving alms is a reminder of that neediness, that poverty." The average Rice Bowl collection last year was $1.40, Bishop Wester said. "That’s not much. With just a very little bit of effort you could double that or triple that or quadruple that. With just a very little bit of effort. Imagine the impact that would have if every Rice Bowl did that. Even a dime a day is $4." Of the money collected, 25 percent stays in the local diocese and 75 percent is sent overseas. All of it is dedicated to reducing poverty. "This money really makes a difference," Huth said. "I’ve seen that with my own eyes."
More information about CRS can be found at www.crs.org. For information about CRS Rice Bowl, including how to receive a free Rice Bowl to place on your table, visit www.crsricebowl.com
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