The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-02-27
FOR Sl.l0 PER WEEK
What It Costs to Feed Pillsbury
Home Boarders.
THE HOMES FIRST YEAR ENDS
1t Has Paid Expenses and Done
Good WOrk--MOre Homes
Needed.

| There is one place in Minneapolis where
women students on the amount of money
spent in providing them with food is re-
garded as entirely unreasonable. Mrs.
Shedd, matron Of the Pillsbury Home for
Young Women on Second avenue s,
smiled when the matter was called to her
attention to-day and said that whatever
else might be the matter with their diet
airy in the university dormitories there
should be no lack of material for both a
| substantial and dainty table with the ex-
penditure OF 81. 10 week for each person.
| Mrs Shedd's opinion was based on the
experience OF the Home, which Tuesday
| celebrated it's first anniversary AT this
Home, with but few exceptions, the girls
| pay $275 for their board and room and at
this low figure the institution is more
than self-supporting.
In order to see exactly what can be
| provided where the buying is on large
scale and carefully managed, the bills Of
the home for January, when provisions
were very high, were taken and the cost
per capita figured out. The result was
surprise even to the matron and those
who were in a position to know the de-
tails Of the management. The amount
| expended each week by the Home for
provisions, including ice, was only $1.1O
for each boarder. Out of the remainder of
theft sum paid by the boarders, have to be
paid wages. board for the employees, laun-
dry, heating, lighting and incidentals,
which probably make considerably more
in the aggregate than the provisions
More Homes Needed.
| The annual reports will be given Fri
| day at the annual meeting of the main as
| ISOLATION and at that time it will be seen
| how much Of a profit the boarding home
has amassed- There is no doubt, how
! ever, but what such an institution can be
| made supporting even at the low
! rates asked, and there Is such pressure
to get into the Home that the board be-
| lieves that. if two more homes with cap
acity equal to the present one could be
| opened at once, both would be filled imme-
diately. A number of the girls could
afford to pay somewhat higher rate,
and with board at from $3.50 to 81, there
would be a chance for a fair profit on
such an investment and besides an ines
Unable amount Of good would be done.
| The Home board is looking about anx-
! iously for someone who will undertake
| to put up another such a home, for the
women connected with the Pillsbury
! Home realize the need Of cheap and re-
spectacle homes for working girls, where
| they will be provided with wholesome and
! substantial food and clean, comfortable
| surroundings, and have chance to form
proper associations.
What the Girls Eat.
! Giving substantial and satisfying meals
! of wholesome, well-cooked food with an
! expenditure Of only $1.10 a week can be
accomplished only by careful manage
ment and by eliminating all dainttes
| that add nothing to the dietary value
Of the menus The menus served are in
teresting. For breakfast, there is always
some kind Of breakfast food with milk,
coffee with cream. and some kind Of warm
bread. Meat is served twice a week, with
| fruit eggs or some savory vegetable dish
| the remaining days. For dinner, meat
is always served, with potatoes and one
| other vegetable and dessert. For sup
per, there is always some hot substantial
dish. usually accompanied by potatoes
and sauce. Cake Is served three times
week and ginger bread. once. On the
three nights when no sweets are served,
the substantial dishes are richer. Some
of the supper dishes are scalloped salmon,
scalloped tomatoes, Goldfish with gravy,
| Clipped beef with gravy, all accompanied
| by potatoes. Nothing is better liked
than an Irish stew which is hearty and
! contains a variety Of vegetables, as we'll
! as liberal supply of meat, as the cheap
er cuts used for this dish. A rich
soup is occasionally served for supper
with a hearty vegetable dish.
| The meat bills have to be watched
closely, as these would soon run UP ex-
| penses, and keeping them down is the
| most difficult problem for the matron in
| planning the menus. The girls are all
hard workers and need plenty Of sub
stantial food and it is not easy to find
anything that satisfies as we'll as meat.
The reduction Of meat bills, however,
inevitably increases the butter bill, for
1t is necessary to use more butter in
cooking the vegetables when they become
| the main dish of meal and the girls
also eat more bread and butter when meat
is used sparingly. The wholesome and
nourishing qualities of the fare are proved
by the robust health of the girls and the
gains made in weight after entering the
| Home.