Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-09

two or three hearty meals. The menue will
include chicken, meat, bread, vegetables.
a package of breakfast food peck of po-
tatoes. a can each of corn, beans and bak-
ing powder, box of cracker-iack, bags of
candy sugar, rice and prunes, besides other
vegetables and commodities.
In Chicago a public feast given to 5000
people caused the following supplies TO van
iSh:
5000 pounds Of turkey, chicken, beef and
pork.
1000 loaves of bread.
1000 gallons of coffee.
1000 pounds of beans.
500 pounds of sugar.
200 pounds of candy.
140 gallons of milk
so bushels of potatoes.
100 pounds of butter.
20 cases of canned goods
10 cases Of cracker-jack.
barrels of pickles.
/ barrel of cranberries.
/ barrel of salt.
800 box lunches besides large quantities
of fruits. celery, vegetables and other
trimmings"
"Our Chicago posts will beat that record
hollow this year" said the officer who gave
these figures.
Arranging for the Dinners.
ut goes without saying he continued
shat it is big business arranging for these
huge feasts. You might think that getting
the money to pay for them Is the hardest
part of the work. but it isn't. The public
generally gives us freely more than we ask
for, and there is never any lack of volun-
teers among our people for the freezing
work of standing by the collecting boxes in
the street.
Among the thousands who take part in
this branch of the work 1t is remarkab BILE
that there is practically no dishonesty es-
pecially when you remember that most of
them are themselves poor, and that not
few reformed convicts. Taking both
ry71Jr q nd Nn1, tnay T
know of only one solitary case where col
lector was caught stealing, and that hap
pened in New York last year
We do not receive many gifts in the way
of food. In some cities baker will give
all the bread that is needed, or candy maker
all the candy, but as a rule everything is
bought. That is perhaps best. 1t lessons
our tremendous labor and secures uniform
ity in the supplies.
THE meat and poultry are generally
bought in one immense order, from GER
tain Chicago packing house. 1t is of the
best quality in the market, but we get it on
pecially favorable terms. Everything we
buy is of the best, but the low quotations
we can secure would surprise you.
Scarcely are we through with the Thanks
giving feasts than we have to hustle, night
and day, 10 get ready for Christmas. The
catering part of the business is hard work.
but getting in touch with the people who
need the baskets is harder. Last winter
we visited over six hundred homes in New
York city for this purpose within a few
days. We had 10 go to them in order to
find out how many were in the families,
and how big basket would be needed.
Besides our own people-people whom
we know and of whose circumstances we
have investigated-we get names of the
needy from all quarters. Ministers and
settlement workers send in many, and SO
do politicians; but the worst cases are
brought to our notice by doctors who prac-
tice in the Sums and by the house sur
geons of the hospitals. Only the poor
know how much those noble men do for
them. 1t Is almost always the doctor who
finds out the hardest case of all-the case
that has escaped the minister, the anna
teur or professional phlanthropist the
thousand and one charitable societies of a
big city. The doctors recommendation is
never turned down.
shape, we have to consult and plan, again
and again, with people who are doing the
same kind of work for other organizations
This is necessary. not only to avoid dupn-
cation of effort as far as possible, but also
to provide for the proper covering Of the
whole field OF need.
Besides the food, there a hundred
and one other things that we have to get
for our clients. Some years ago leading
monthly journal asked several dstin-
gulshed phianthroplsts to say what, In
their opinion, the poor most needed and got
least OF through existing charities. Some
of the persons questioned made long and
rather high-faluting replies. but Mrs.
Maud Balington Booth, who is very
sensible woman answered tersely:
ooots.'
Since then she has got all the boots and