The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-12-01
THE WELCOME MISSION.

More Than Two Hundred Fed by the
Christian Endeavor Societies.
More than two hundred homeless and
destitute men were fed at the Welcome
Mission yesterday by the local Chris
tan Endeavor societies of Worcester
and vicinity. And it wasn't an ordi-
nary dinner but everything that goes
to make Thanksgiving worth remem-
bering. There was turkey and ham
and vegetables and coffee and pie and
fruit, and all anybody wanted of ev-
erything. Two hundred and fifty pounds
of turkey, two boxes of oranges, 50
pounds of butter, four hams, potatoes,
tCrnlps, squash to feed an army and
something like 10 pies were consumed
by the hungry men and children. For
there We're some children fed too. For
the first time since the mission has
made a practice of furnishing these
dinners, some hungry little boys ap-
piled for something to eat, and Mr..
Oakley could not refuse them, though
1t was intended that the dinner be only
for men.
Both the large rooms on the ground
floor were filled with tables and bench
es, even to under the beds in the dorm
ltory room. So close together were the
tables that there was hardly room for
the walters to pass between. 1t did one S
heart good to watch the men-and the
chlldren-do away with the good things
and over all beamed the kindly face
of Superintendent Oakley, who had a
word of welcome for each man. and
did his best to make the guests feel
at home. The walters We're all from
the Christian Endeavor societies, six of
them having come in from Holden for
the occasion.
The kitchen on the second floor, where
the food was prepared, was in charge
of Mrs. Oakley, assisted by an eff
cient corps of volunteers, who were
kept busy sending things down stairs
TO the tables. The turkeys were cooked
at the Y. w. c. A. kitchen, as they
have been during the five years the
mission has been giving the dinners.
Money for the food was collected by the
Endeavor societies. which sent in
about SIS in all, A children's sewing
school on Houghton street collected
$l.39 in pennies, and a great deal of
food was given by the markets in Wor-
cester.
As the Welcome Mission is the only
organization in the city which looks
after homeless and destitute men, great
praise is due the interchangeable workers
who prepared the dinner yesterday.
Five years ago the idea came to Mr..
5 Oakley, and met with ready response
from the Endeavor societies, and that
first year he went among the farmers
around the city and collected enough
meat and vegetables for a sumptuous
dinner. Since then a turkey dinner has
been furnished.
& The societies included in the union,
exclusive of those in the city are: Hol-
den, Paxton, Millbury, North Grafton,
West Millbury, Greenville, Westboro,
Rutland, Shrewsbury, Tatnuck and
GAINESVILLE. The committee in charge
OF the dinner consisted of the follow
ing; Edwin T. Chaplin, Piedmont; ].
9. Fletcher Dewey street; Miss Mary
I. d. Macduff, Union; Miss NJ Ger
trude Jones, Hope; Miss Florence A.
Jones, First Baptist; H L. Walker,
Park; G. w. Phillips, friends. Fol-
lowing are the walters who served the
dinner, the first six being from Holden;
Miss Mamie Hart, Miss Cora Merri-
man, Miss Ida Marsh, Miss Nellie N.
Cole, George Fl. Marsh, E. H. Marsh
Miss Eta Knight, DR.. H. NJ McClous-
key Joseph Allen, Waldo H. Lewis
Miss Laura L. Stearns, Miss Cora
Spauld1pg, Miss Rena HOPPE, Miss Ma
ria Partridge, Miss Ida A. Small. Miss
Ida Champion, Miss Gertrude Brogden
w. T. Turner, Miss Rhoda S. Stanley,
F. w. Ferguson Miss Jane L. Garlic
ton, Miss Lila M. Barnett, H. S. VIII
son, Miss Bessie Dougans, Miss Annie
Harvey. Miss Mary G. Jones.
In the evening graphaphone enter
tainment was given to the men, the
records being loaned by the Guy Fur
1niture Company, Ivers Johnson Com
pany, and Steinerts Refreshments
were passed around during the num-