Rice Bowl | Plato de Arroz | Catholic Relief Services

The Diocese of Youngstown encourages all families to turn in their Rice Bowl contributions by Palm Sunday on March 24, 2024.

MORE INFORMATION: Contact Diocesan Director of Peace and Justice, R. J. Mangan at (330) 744-8451 x245 or rmangan@youngstowndiocese.org.

CRS Rice Bowl participants are encouraged to reach out to their local parishes to determine whether in-person collections will occur, or if they should donate via a community giving page. Direct donations to CRS are always accepted online, by phone or mail.

Give Online:

• English: CRS Rice Bowl through Catholic Charities, Diocese of Youngstown
• Spanish: http://crsplatodearroz.org/donar

By Mail:

• Please write “CRS Rice Bowl” on the memo line of your check and mail it to: Catholic Charities, Diocese of Youngstown, 144 W. Wood St., Youngstown, Ohio 44503

If individuals or families received a postage paid Rice Bowl envelope from their local parish, they are encouraged to send their gifts using that envelope.

Parish Resource Guide

Para la Cuaresma, por la vida

Esta Cuaresma, comprométete con nuestra familia humana a través de la oración diaria, el ayuno semanal y la limosna. Ordena hoy tus Platos de Arroz de CRS.

Contacto Director de Paz y Justicia, R. J. Mangan: (330) 744-8451 x245 o rmangan@youngstowndiocese.org.

Your Donation Matters

As families around the world struggle to survive amid ongoing armed conflicts, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) calls for U.S. Catholics to turn in their CRS Rice Bowls and welcome a new era of peace and solidarity this Easter Sunday.

“Whenever we see an uptick in fighting, we see an increase in food insecurity,” said Beth Martin, CRS’ director of Mission and Mobilization campaigns. “Countries like Ukraine prove that there is a connection between conflict and families being able to put food on the table. CRS Rice Bowl is one of the best ways that U.S. Catholics can show their solidarity with people who are struggling with hunger and poverty, partly due to these global armed conflicts.”

In 1 Peter 1:3, we are told, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” As we celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection and the promise of eternal life for all who believe in Him, we call upon this Easter to represent a new birth to an era of peace for the world.

Ongoing conflicts in countries such as Ukraine, Ethiopia and Yemen mean more families have been forced to flee their homes and leave behind a sense of security, including knowing where they will get their next meal. Since 1975, CRS Rice Bowl donations have gone to programs overseas dedicated to ending hunger and poverty.

“The small sacrifices made by U.S. Catholics this Lenten season are going to add up to significant help for our sisters and brothers around the world,” Martin said. “We know over the past three years, COVID-19 increased food insecurity globally. Unfortunately, all the armed conflict we have seen has only accelerated that. CRS Rice Bowl donations are more important now than ever.”

While CRS Rice Bowl donations primarily go to programs overseas dedicated to ending hunger and poverty, 25% of the funds stay in the diocese where they are collected. As families continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting efforts to end hunger and poverty in U.S. communities remains of vital import.

CRS echoes Pope Francis’ Prayer for Peace, in which the Holy Father prays for God to “Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words ‘division’, ‘hatred’ and ‘war’ be banished from the heart of every man and woman.”

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. The agency alleviates suffering and provides assistance to people in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding.  For more information, visit crs.org or www.crsespanol.org and follow Catholic Relief Services on social media in English at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube; and in Spanish at: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.