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February 5, 2026People see them every Lent: small cardboard boxes sitting in parish entryways, waiting to be taken home, filled one coin at a time, and brought back at the end of the season.
Known as “Rice Bowls,” these collections are part of a global outreach effort through Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the international humanitarian agency of the U.S. Catholic Church.
For more than 50 years, this simple yet impactful Lenten tradition has invited Catholics of all ages to practice almsgiving in a tangible way, reminding people that even the smallest acts of generosity can unite everyone with their brothers and sisters across the world.
Last year, the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City saw 17 parishes participate in Rice Bowls collections. Of the funds collected, a portion is redistributed through local pantries and parish outreaches.
Sister Diane Koorie, RSM, longtime CRS volunteer and local chapter member, said the Rice Bowls are one of the main fundraising efforts of Catholic Relief Services. She encourages families to use the bilingual poster included with each bowl.
“How wonderful for families, maybe once or twice during Lent, to try one of those recipes, connect it with the Rice Bowl they’re filling, and make that connection with their brothers and sisters in other parts of the world,” she said.
Sister Diane encourages parishioners to understand they are making a difference in the life of another person, even if they don’t initially feel it.
“Sometimes it feels like drops in a bucket. But if we keep at it, one dime at a time, it adds up,” she said. “Charity begins at home, but it can’t stay there.”
Rice Bowls supports CRS programs serving more than 100 countries. Of the almsgiving collected, 75% supports global efforts focused on alleviating hunger and poverty through education, resources and training, while 25% is reinvested in local communities.
Father William Banowsky, pastor at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Mustang, revived the Rice Bowls program at his parish by using Family Faith Formation classes to encourage student participation and educate parents.
“It's truly transformative,” Father Banowsky said. “It doesn't just aid with access to resources, but also provides education and training to truly lead not to just survival but self-sufficiency. It's also a reminder that our neighbor isn't just those in our community, but all of us, globally, who are made in the image and likeness of God.”
Martha Torres, director of religious education for Holy Spirit, said parish leadership support was key to her parish’s Rice Bowls success.
“This is a nickel and dime kind of thing,” Torres said. “If you want one bowl for the family or one bowl for each kid, it’s a community effort that doesn’t require you to sacrifice a whole lot because all of it comes together to be a much bigger number.”
Jo Soske, local CRS chapter member and longtime volunteer, said she continued to support CRS because of their desires to develop the whole person, to bring dignity and long-term change. She said, Rice Bowls shift mindsets from me-first to others.
“The truth is there is no me, it’s us,” Soske said. “Until we can begin to think about that, everybody is going to have some needs they are not getting met, whether they are material or spiritual.
“We can talk to them about faith all day, but put something that is about their faith into their hands and they internalize it.”
Anyone interested in participating in CRS Rice Bowls can contact their pastor or Sister Diane Koorie at [email protected] and visit crsricebowl.org.
Eliana Tedrow is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.
Visit crsricebowl.org for information, prayers, stories and activities to enhance the Lenten practice. To order Rice Bowls visit crsricebowl.org/resources/order-crs-rice-bowl-materials. To order by phone, call 1 (800) 222-0025. Materials are available in English and Spanish.
Lenten recipeCrispy Pancakes — Vietnam
Prep Time: 15 min
Cooking Time: 15 min
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Pancakes:
1 cup rice flour
1 cup water
1 cup coconut milk
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 scallion, sliced thin
Oil (for cooking)
Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham):
6 tablespoon warm water
2 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoon fish sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 red chili, minced
The Filling:
2 cup fresh bean sprouts
½ pound small shrimp, peeled
6 scallions, sliced
Mint and cilantro for garnish
Preparation
For the Vietnamese Rice Flour Pancakes:
Mix all pancake batter ingredients together in a large bowl until smooth. Let the mixture stand for 30 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients. For the Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham), mix all the dipping sauce ingredients. Set aside.
To prepare the filling:
Preheat a 9 inch, non-stick skillet with a lid over medium heat. Add the bean sprouts and cook until most of the moisture has evaporated. Remove the sprouts from the pan and set aside. Increase the heat to medium high. Add 1 tsp of oil to the skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes, until cooked through. Add the scallions and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Remove the mixture from the pan and set aside.
To make the pancakes:
Add ½ tsp of oil to the skillet (if it looks dry) and pour about ½ c of the batter into the hot pan, tilting the pan quickly to create an even layer of batter that coats the pan. Distribute some of the cooked filling and bean sprouts over half of the batter and cover the skillet for 2-3 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Remove the lid and reduce the heat to medium, cooking until the bottom of the pancake is crispy, 3-5 minutes. Once the bottom of the pancake is golden and crispy, fold the pancake in half over the filling. Transfer to a plate and serve. Continue with the remaining batter and filling, adding a little oil as needed before pouring the batter.
Find more Lenten recipes visit crsricebowl.org.