Almsgiving

            In addition to praying and fasting, Lent is a time of almsgiving. Local parishes may offer special programs for charitable works during the Lenten season. One such program is Catholic Relief Service's Operation Rice Bowl, which started in a Pennsylvania diocese in 1975. Funds are presently used to battle hunger and poverty around the world as well as within the United States.
http://orb.crs.org/about/

             In my parish, the pastor sent parishioners an email requesting the donation of spare change to support the parochial school's sister school in the Holy Land. There's a friendly competition between grades to see who collects the most coins...

             Here are pictures of Easter-themed Giftigami Boxes. Kids can make and decorate their own box, collect coins, and donate to charity, perfect during Lent! For instructions, please visit http://www.estherlocascio.com