The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-27
GIVES THANKS FOR
AID IN CHARITIES
McGrath Calls Attention to
Work of the Year
INTEREST INCREASES
Expresses Appreciation for Co. Opera
tion Which Has Made Possible
Work of Associated Charities
During Past Year

General Secretary McGrath of the
Associated Charities is sending out in
connection with his annual report the
following address:
40 the citizens of Birmingham:
again we are called upon to give
thanks for the many benefits we have
received during the year. As an as
sociation we are depply appreciative of
the faithful cooperation that has made
possible ouS work of relieving desti
tuition and suffering during the past
IL months and we wish to express our
qualification for this assistance.
I'VE have much to be thankful for,
chiefly in that we have been able to
relieve suffering in 1928 different in
stances by furnishing food coal, cloth
ing, shoes. medicine, rent, etc, in re-
sponse to demands made by those in
distress. In endeavoring to make sat
isfactory adjustment of the cases rep
resented in these appeals our workers
have held over 5000 interviews In our
office and have made nearly 5000 calls
at the homes of applicants and those
Interested In their troubles.
Increase of Interest
all dHdiy VI liilS phase OIL our
work reveals most gratifying in
crease of interest among peo-
pie who have come in COLI
tact with our methods and who thus
have had an opportunity of familiariz-
ing themselves with our constructive
as well as our relief work. A year ago,
in compiling our report we showed thar
267 interviews had been held in our
offices, with people who Were inter-
ested in certain cases of destitution,
and that our visitors had made 499
calls on citizens in behalf of such cases.
During the past II months 2093 office
interviews were held and 1881 calls
made in the effort to rehabilitate those
unfortunate ones who were forced, by
various circumstances, to appeal for
aid.
"This outside interest materially
facilitated our efforts and enabled us
to build for permananece in our fami-
ly constructive work. In addition to
these 1874 calls to, and visits from,
those interested in the work, our visi-
tors held 1864 interviews in our Of
fees and made 29S0 calls directly upon
those who needed help. All told a total
of 10,72S calls made and interviews
held in the effort to improve the con-
dition of those in distress.
Personal Consideration
What is involved by these figures
cannot be appreciated by merely read
ing them; numerically they indicate a
large amount of consultation with and
about families in trouble. The actual
amount of the personal element that
enters into consideration cannot be es-
timated in cold calculation. The Civ
ing of food, coal, clothing, shoes, medi-
cine, rent, etc, requires least effort
and resolves itself merely into a ques-
tion of the amount of money available
for this purpose. Such relief is given
daily by ourvisitors. as the first step
toward that true relief which requires
real effort, constant and conscientious,
before the latent earning factors in the
family become active and the need of
outside aid thus made unnecessary.
Relief, in the common acceptation
of the word is often synonymous with
injustice. Dollar doling is likely to be