By Rosie Smith
Every Ash Wednesday, since the 2020-2021 school year, McNicholas adopted donating rice bowls during lent as a way to help those in need of food and to bring a new reality to the students at McNick. Each CREW is asked to fill a “rice bowl” during lent with change to fight hunger and poverty and benefit Catholic Relief around the globe.
Mrs. Liz Curran, theology teacher and moderator of the Catholic Relief Services Club, explained that the name “rice bowl” has a symbolic meaning. It surrounds the idea that when we abstain from meat every Friday during lent, the money that would’ve been spent on meat should be then given to those less fortunate. Rice and beans are the suggested foods for Fridays, which are a cheaper alternative to meat. “We’re eating the rice and beans, to fuel our bodies, and it can also fuel what we give to the Catholic Relief Services around the world,” Curran said.
The CRS (Catholic Relief Services) Club at McNick is a club based on volunteer work, specifically helping those who experience food insecurity. They help in the lenten season by grocery shopping for those in need, learning about those they are helping, and volunteering every Saturday making sandwiches at SEM (Southeastern Ecumenical Ministries) Food Pantry in Mt. Washington. SEM is an all-volunteer choice-pantry, meaning they are based off those who volunteer and allow their clients to choose the food they need. “It’s really nice because I like hearing about people’s lives. I’m a very extroverted person, and I can talk to anyone. I get a lot of fulfillment from going around and trying to help the [clients] and make sure that they get what they need,” said junior Molly Armstrong, a member of CRS Club.
“For us to think that in a mile radius from where we are, there are [many] who aren’t sure where their next meal comes from. That is something we are called to respond to,” Curran added.
Rice bowls are a part of the Catholic Social Teaching, allowing it to be a part of the lives of Catholics. “So, it just brings a whole new reality of how we serve our brothers and sisters throughout the world, and by raising awareness of how our Catholic identity is lived out in the world around us,” Curran said.
“I think it’s really important to go out in like places you’re not comfortable, and do service there. I’ve done a lot of research about global poverty because of the rice bowls, and I think it’s really good to know how privileged you are,” Armstrong added.
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