QUINCY - The St. Vincent de Paul Outreach Food Pantry of St. Francis Solanus Church received a $1,000 Operation Rice Bowl grant from the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.

"The grant will allow us to do an even better job of serving those in need," said Father Kurt Hartrich, OFM, St. Francis pastor. "The money will be used to supplement what our parishioners regularly give. It will be used to purchase meat, cheese, produce and juice according to the norms given."

The annual Lenten collection for Catholic Relief Services helps fund many efforts in the United States and throughout the world. One quarter of the monies collected in Operation Rice Bowl stays in the diocese.