New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-11-26
FEEDING THE POOR.
THANKSGIVING DINERS BY THE THOU
SANDS-WHAT SOME ORGANIZA-
TONS WILL DO THIS YEAR.

ton has Manhattan and The Bronx distrtcted into
eleven districts, and in each there Is district
committee, made Up OF friendly visitors volunteer
workers who place themselves under the direction
OF the organization. These visitors know the con-
dition Of each family visited, and when a Thanks
giving dinner is needed. as it generally is, they
that it is provided. These volunteer workers
are usually connected with societies Of various
kinds-churches. Kings Daughters, Christian En-
deavor societies. and On-whiCh make the
furnishing of Thanksgiving cheer a part Of their
work or the visitors themselves or their cha-tta-
hly inclined friends. see that comfortably filed /
box goes TO their protsges
The district agents of the Charity Organiza ton |
also report families under their care 10 the district
committees. so that while no money Is spent dt- /
rectly by the society Itself. tt is the channels /
through which round about three thousand dinners /
are served
MANY MAY GO DINNERLEss-
The Association for the Improvement Of the |
Poor. on the contrary. makes the provision Of the
Thanksgiving dinner definite feature Of It's work
expending for that purpose whatever donations /
come in specially for the Thanksgiving fund. The I
association has twelve hundred families its list
OF which is under the care OF any other So /
Ciety. and Of which viii eat a Thanksgiving /
dinner unless the association sends it, Last night
only $500 had been received for this purpose.
The weather has been too mild said an officer
in the relief department of the association 1t
takes good, sharp frosty Thanksgiving 20 bring
out the donations When we feel the cold our
selves we think Of the poor; but people need 70
eat Just the same. whether it is cold or not"
The $500 received viii not be nearly enough 70
go around among the twelve hundred families
For instance. there IS one widow the list with
nine children under fourteen years Of age Three
of the children are work and the family is get
ting along and keeping together. A god, big s.
basket ought TO go TO them Then there is another
family in which there are eight children under
fifteen years of age. The mother has just died,
and the father has been sick and out OF work. A
big dinner ought to so there. Then there Is q
thoroughly nice old English woman. seventy-tV'o
years old. She has been widow for thirty years,
and has earned her living by letting rooms Up 10
within the last year She IS now becoming IN
capacitated by age and years Of hard work. She
has received only $50 Of assistance since last Feb
ruary but she Is now without rOomers because she
IS actually unable care for them Rent day
stares her IN the face with remorseess certainty
and yet she breads the thought OF home for the
aged. with all the aversion Of a lifetime Of hard
toll and independence. She begs the association TO
give her the money instead OF the dinner can
do so much more with dollar than you cam She
told the agent. And SO she can" said the Of
fcer. but the trouble Is she VIII IL for rent
and eat dry bread Cor her Thanksgiving dinner
We must send her the dinner. Poor. old thing
She Is OF education and refinement You
could of her floor. II is clean and she is so
sure she can continue 20 earn her living. But her
earnings have grown less and less. until I can SEQ
nothing for her but the almshouse This viii prob
ably be her last Thanksgiving at home
BRAvELy KEEPS FAMILY TOGETHER
! Another most deserving. hardworkinF woman lost
| her husband since last Thanksgiving Day. He died
| OF consumption. after two years OF lingering III
! ness, and as his dead body was brought into the
| house from the hospital her youngest child
born She Is nervily keeping her family OF six chill
| dren together by cleaning washing and ironing.
one Of the most deserving women 7 ever knew"
said the officer, and she comes out OF the heart OF
'HelIs Kitchen West Thirty-ninth-st-"
Then there Is a little woman who was deserted by
her husband, who left her with six children Three
Of them she has had put in institutions but she
needs Thanksgiving dinner FOR the other three. a
/ most harmless. Inofensive little woman. Of the
clinging vine order without the strength energy or
ambition TO put up hard dght with the world To
/ be not only diuneress. but ones household
/ goods upon the pavement would be a sorry way 10
A downeast looking man called at the association
thar showed that the task was neither customary
| nor agreeable He was an American Protestant
to drive nlaiI wagon Tor SO 50 a week But II ai8
/ not begin until next Monday and ne had received
| a dtspossess warrant His goods would be thrown
out and his family turned into the street and he
! had no money TO rent another place or even car
rare to look ror one An agent Went directly 70 the
pace found me story correct IN every particular.
payday and bring cheerful Thanksgiving. after all
PREFERENCES OF DINERS.
The agents OF the association have been working
overtime all the week investigating these cases
and hundreds OF others. looking up every family
their lists Il It needs Thanksgiving din
Uer, and. II so, what IL would like To fam
I
sists OF -four. tea OF coffee, sugar butter. pack
age Of cereal. some dry beans or split peas, a can
( Of tomatoes. potatoes onions bread crackers.
/ eggs and condensed milk. To these are added tur-
kew or its equivalent, and canned apples or prunes
re6IIjTed m coo9r " b1t 3S sc m d I laT r
I son asks for them they are sent As Tar as pos
sible choice is given the recipient. and national
charactersucs come out in this. Germans want rice
/ and lenLls- The Irish ask for oatmeal hominy
! negroes ask for cornueaL When It comes 10
/ monarch OF the meals many Of these poor house
beef, roast pork or the homely but savory corned
/ then they understand cooking them better When
/ they choose turkey they usually boil fl. roasting
/ lty agent asked a poor woman what she would
anything to stew for the children never have any
/ there won't be any Thanksgiving to it"
A AIINCE PIE REQUEST
| Occasionally there Is poor old woman who
| once knew what It 70 a real Thanksgiving
dinner, who asks for mince pie plum pudding
AS this fare is little two expensive for d charity
! exchequer, the agent usually tries TO make
| rangement with some more prosperous family in
! the house to send IN portion Of it's dessert The
dinners are taken to the homes Thanksgiving
morning. or sent around by the tradespeople from
All the families VINO thus eat THANKSGIVING tur-
Key al nome are those IN when the father is dead
| all strictly honest and worthy people.
! to the Association Improving the Condition Of
the Poor who always says to the secretary OF the
/ Now everybody else is looking out for the
! worthy poor-the poor that never do anything 80
/ you Just my money for the fellow that's a little
| off color. I've got a sneaking sympathy for him.
| The Salvation Army has always made a feature
OF the big dinners at its barracks, where the hot
! sam and jetsam of a great city-the outcast, the
| homeless and the friendless-are gathered around
| decent table for one day in the year. In New