1. scavenger hunt – look under the car seats, sofa cushions, raid grandma’s purse (with permission, of course!),  dad’s jar in his closet!
2. art gallery – children’s artwork sale to go toward filling their bowls
3. matching gift challenge – ask someone to match dollar for dollar what you collect
4. take your bowl on the road – sit it in the cup holder & put all of your extra change in it after every purchase
5. take your bowl to work or send it to work for the day and ask co-workers to empty their pockets to help you feed orphans
6. children are great entrepreneurs – lemonade stands, yardsales, bake sale, etc.
7. skip a family dinner out once a week and put that $ in your bowl
8. carry your bowl around for a day, when people ask what it is…tell them answers are $1 each then get as many people to fold a dollar bill and shove it in your bowl.
9. put your bowl in your locker and announce a “locker change day”, inviting your friends to throw change in there in between classes!
10. go boys vs girls in your group or a challenge at work – some fun competition always raises more yum!

Send your creative ideas, we’ll post and share with others!

A pastor from an inner city church in Spartanburg, SC recently called the Rice Bowls offices to let us know that one of his members, a man who lives at the local rescue mission, brought a full bowl of change to the church. This man committed his time “walking around the city” to orphaned children! Any money he found laying around the streets he put in his Rice Bowl. He collected $24. Instead of using it for his own needs, he helped us purchase 96 meals!

Now that’s an amazing sacrifice. Yes, everybody can help feed orphaned children!

Two college students with a huge heart for orphaned children. We’re extremely thankful to have them with us. Between busy college schedules, they’re helping us figure out what a volunteer internship at Rice Bowls is all about.

Meet Logan: (left)
Her favorite things? Finding a nice and shady spot to lay in her hammock, hiking, playing ultimate frisbee, and being around the people she loves.
Her yum of choice? Spaghetti with garlic and mushroom sauce!
Her travels: Logan’s travels include the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Germany, & she spent this past Christmas in Southeast Asia.
Why Rice Bowls? “It’s awesome to be a part of something bigger than yourself. Not only do you put a smile on a kid’s face, you help plant the joy of Christ inside of their hearts.”

Meet Ashley:
Her favorite things? Online shopping, finding good deals, playing video games, doing outdoorsy things, going to the beach, going to the mountains, and just enjoying life.
Her yum of choice? Cajun Filet Combo at Bojangles
Her travels? Ashely’s travels include the Dominican Republic & Nicaragua.
Why Rice Bowls? “I know that my time is helping children around the world and giving God glory.”

Lester, along with his brothers and sisters, are like many children who come into our partner homes. His mother lives in extreme poverty and had to give her children to others because she could not afford to feed them. 

Lester’s friendly, quick to give hugs! He likes to wrestle and play, and loves being everyone’s pal. The Rice Bowls team met Lester while visiting Honduras partner, Good Shepherd’s Children’s Home. He plays, gets to go to school, does simple chores on the farm, and eats 3 meals a day in this caring home. His mother makes a long journey each month to visit and is hoping to one day be reunited in the same home. 

Don’t you just want to squeeze him? Don’t spill his milk though.

Lately, we’ve been seeing an increased interest in corporate sponsorships of Rice Bowls. More and more companies have contacted us about wanting to help!

So, we’ve come up with a simple plan for corporate sponsorships. If you operate a company, you can help us feed more hungry orphaned children by:

              Putting us on your corporate charity contribution list    

                               Give a portion of your total sales or profits

           Designate a percentage of a certain specialty item to Rice Bowls

Give a bowl to every employee and run a company campaign

    Put a bowl at your check out area, in your lobby, or in every break room

                                                Do an employee matching drive

Link to us, share us, and post us on your website,                                                                                                             blog, and social media sites

Most of us at Rice Bowls have spent time in the corporate world and can help you along the way so that you can harbor a giving spirit in your company, easy and effectively!

                     How much can you stuff into a Rice Bowl?
                           35 cents after a Starbucks fix
                 71 cents after driving through at Chick-fil-a
                                             or
commit to folding a dollar a day (or at every meal) & filling a Rice Bowl.

Every 25 cents counts!  We can buy a hungry child a meal with that quarter. It doesn’t take much to make the difference we all talk about during the holidays.
Whether you’re a family wanting to learn about orphans and pray at the dinner table, a band of friends at your workplace giving a portion of their lunch money, or a part of a larger group who wants to multiply your efforts and feed a ton of kids, you can make great things happen in the lives of orphaned children.
So, stuff those bowls full of coins and dollar bills…and if you find a Benjamin in one, take a picture and send it to us!

Go give some yum and see just how full you feel.

Why orphans? Children become orphaned from a multitude of causes: abandonment, death of parents, a parent unable to provide, government economic crisis, civil crisis, natural disasters, and/or disease.

Why care for orphans? Children are most vulnerable. When they are brought into our partner homes they receive the four basic needs: provision, protection, affection and instruction. 

Why food? Every 2 seconds another child dies of malnutrition. We can change that. Food provides healthy growth for bodies and minds, so that children grow. A healthy happy meal increases the nutrients that can turn back the effects of malnutrition. With a healthy diet children learn better, play better and sleep better! For our partners, the food budget makes up one of their largest expenses of their total budget.                          

Why Rice Bowls? Lives are being changed; By taking away this financial burden, Rice Bowls isn’t just providing food, we’re allowing our partner orphanages to focus on what’s most important - loving the kids. We are fighting hard to make sure we stomp out orphan hunger! Join us.

                                                                                                                              We are really proud of our children! The children in our partner homes are growing up, getting healthier, and learning lots of new stuff. We get to see their smiles and hear their laughter! Recently we’ve started to hang one of these banners on the wall when we visit. They see it and are thankful for people like YOU all around the USA that are helping to feed them!

I just want to make a difference, I just want to change the world. 

I want to help the little boys and girls. 

I want to take away their biggest fears and tell the world that I am here. 

I want to help them sleep all through the night, and tell them Jesus holds them tight. 

I want to fill their little bellies with food and never remind them of what they have been through. 

I want to take away their biggest fears, I want to tell the world that I am here.

Nicole, 8th Grader from Illinois