Activity Center: Almsgiving Box

Adults and children will decorate a box in which to collect alms during Lent. This can be used to collect funds for your parish Lenten project or for a cause of the family’s choice.

Download Almsgiving Box Family Handout
To print: 1 per family
Document: 1 page.

This handout explains the Lenten discipline of almsgiving and gives instructions for making and using an almsgiving box. You may also wish to provide a list of local charities for almsgiving opportunities.

For this activity center, set up a work table with the following materials:

• Printed handouts, one for each family
• Paper boxes (3"x3"x2" or 3"x3"x3"), one for each family
• Scissors for cutting a slot on the top of the box
• Decorations: stickers, sequins, glitter, etc.
• Glue
• Markers to write the family’s name and information about the cause to which they have dedicated their almsgiving.

Tips for Gathering Materials

Boxes: Try to find boxes that are about 3 inches wide, 3 inches long, and 2 or 3 inches deep. You can use pint-sized milk cartons that have been washed and covered with paper. You could also use small “tuck top” gift boxes, which are available in most office and party supply stores. To find gift boxes on the Internet, type “paper boxes gift” or “paper boxes craft” into a search engine.

Almsgiving Opportunities: If you have not done so already, you may wish to provide participants with a list of local charities as a part of this activity. To make putting such a list together easier, you may wish to use this template.