MERCY Communities of Springfield has expressed gratitude for a $1,000 grant from the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois through the Operation Rice Bowl program.

Operation Rice Bowl is the official Lenten program of Catholic Relief Services. The program calls for prayer, sacrifice and almsgiving during Lent in solidarity with the poor of the world. Twenty-five percent of funds raised stay in the local diocese to support programs that help the poor.

MERCY Communities in Springfield provides housing and support services to foster independence of homeless and at-risk families. The money received from the Operation Rice Bowl grant will be used to purchase food bank commodities to supplement family grocery budgets.

"We would not have been able to serve 115 families in the past nine years at the MERCY House without the support of the Catholic community," says Mary Stone, executive director.

MERCY Communities has 12 transitional living units and an additional 10 permanent housing facilities in the Springfield area.  

For more information on MERCY Communities, visit the Web site at www.mercycommunities.org .