Apply for the 2026 Rice Bowl Grant
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) works in 112 countries and reaches nearly 121 million of the world’s poorest people each year with innovative solutions to tough problems like poverty, hunger, drought, disease and emergencies. CRS is the official overseas relief and development agency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The Diocese of Phoenix supports the mission of CRS through two main initiatives: Operation Rice Bowl and the February Second Collection.
CRS Goals and Initiatives
1. Fight hunger
More than 1 million people suffer from hunger. CRS has Agriculture & Livelihoods addressing this need.
CRS is changing that with 113 sustainable agricultural projects in 47 countries, using innovative approaches that combine health care, literacy and microfinance with proven agricultural practices.
For 26 million people, hunger is already a thing of the past.
2. Improve health
CRS has water programs in 40 countries to ensure there is access to fresh, clean water for millions of people.
CRS’ health programs help to identify and train local leaders in basic health services. They also address malaria, HIV/Aids, and cholera epidemics.
3. Help to End Human Trafficking
Estimates of people trafficked into forced labor or prostitution ranges between 700,000 and 2 million people annually. The vast majority of those are women and children.
CRS supports alternative, local economic options and social protections as a means of both preventing trafficking from happening in the first place and as a way of re-integrating trafficked people into society.
4. Care for the Most Vulnerable
CRS Safety Net Program work to ensure that the most basic needs for survival and human dignity are met. While they recognize the responsibility of the local State and civil society to provide for the common good of the people, CRS provides for the most vulnerable—those suffering from natural disasters, war, age, illness, disabilities, or discrimination—for whom the governments or local communities are unable or unwilling to care for.