More than coins in a cardboard box

Hurricane–tested third–graders can relate to children helped by Operation Rice Bowl.

PEGGY DEKEYSER | FC
Third-graders at St. John the Evangelist School proudly show off their Operation Rice Bowl boxes, which they're striving to fill with coins to help children in need around the world.

PEGGY DEKEYSER | FLORIDA CATHOLIC PENSACOLA-TALLAHASSEE BUREAU EDITOR

Published: 02.22.08

PENSACOLA | The third–graders in Christina Myers’ class at St. John the Evangelist School don’t know a whole lot about the daily lives of children in the faraway countries of Guatemala, India, Mali, Haiti and Cameroon that this year’s Operation Rice Bowl focuses on, but they can really relate to not having access to utilities, food, clean water and shelter.

PEGGY DEKEYSER | FC
Gregory White, a third-grader at St. John the Evangelist School, displays his “rice bowl” that he is working hard to fill this Lent to help children in need in other parts of the world and locally.

Their community, on the shore of Pensacola Bay and intersected by Bayou Grande, was a prime target for Hurricane Ivan in 2004. The third-graders, mostly turning 9–years old now, have keen memories of waiting in long lines to receive water, ice and MREs (meals ready to eat) from the National Guard. Once their families procured supplies, they took them back to what was left of their houses. Some were lucky enough to have a house, albeit without electricity or clean water and sometimes with an extra fallen tree or two jutting through the living space. Some lived in tents for awhile. Some lived in Federal Emergency Management Agency travel trailers for months. Some doubled up with relatives. Some of their friends from kindergarten, when the storm struck, left and have never moved back.

They count themselves the lucky ones, though. “At least we had a place to go to get water and ice and food. Some kids don’t even have that because they live in poor countries,” said one student. Another girl, whose mother was born in Brazil, told stories of the extreme poverty she’s seen on trips there.

So they get it. They understand that these little cardboard boxes supplied by their counselor, Caroline Bush, who also happens to be the Catholic Relief Services liaison for the diocese, are about more than coins in a box. They’re about saving kids lives, about making sure that they have clean water, medicines, safe shelter and a chance at a happy, healthy life.

Now that the boxes are in their hands, they’re finding creative ways to fill them up. Some have given up their daily after-lunch ice cream treat and are putting the money saved into the boxes. Some are giving up renting movies or video games to fund their contributions. Others have taken on extra chores. All are happy to help.

“We were lucky that after the hurricane came, people came and helped us so we could get ice and water and food. This is a way that we can help kids who aren’t that lucky,” said one shy third-grader.

Along the way, they’re also learning a lot about how much they have in common with children around the globe.