The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1915-03-05
CITY LUNCH
IS BLOW TO
GRAFTERS
Soup Kitchen Takes
Away Excuse For
Begging
5000 MEALS ARE
SERVED DAILY
Present Cost of Main
tenance Is $500 a
Week

$50 AAebASAPeA ooup hieShth uao
accomplished one object OF great i'm
portance-it has practically I'D the
city Of panhandiers and men who go
nom house TO house. soliciting
food" says Inspector Rutledge, IN
charge Of the Welfare lunch" now
In its fourth week OF operation, In
me place formerly occupied by the
Dresden cafe.
N Q man calls at your home and
asks for something TO eat, and tells
you that he doesn't apply TO the soup
Kitchen because he wouldn't eat
ne stun they serve there. you can
mako up your mind that he wants
merely 10 size up your house. with
N ere to possible burglary" con
onued the inspector.
The man who won't eat the soup
No servo 10 foolish. II is made from
ne best materials obtainable. II
~ ind that we are being sap.s6 I'd
With poor vegetables. we go 10 an.
other dealer. Often We are told by
dealers that the supplies on hand
are not good enough. and that they
VII send us fresher vegetables II we
viii wan a day"
The soup kitchen Is now serving.
On an average. 1880 helpings OF
bresd and coffee. between and Q
Q. m. and the same number OF help
ings Of soup and bread between 5
and 8 In the evening. There Is no
service In the middle OF the day.
largely because II was discovered
that mon who could AFFORD 10 pay
for their noon lunches were saving
their money and eating their meal
IN me municipal kitchen. Proprie-
torn Of lunch stands and eating
rooms IN the vicinity complained
that their trade was falling on. and
looked with angry eyes on the city's
free lunch. so the practice OF feed
Ing men At the noon hour was dis
continued: but women and children
arc admitted and fed at all hours.
Inspector Rntledge figures that
the $500 heipings go TO feed between
800 and 1000 people. Some come
back for second bowl, and some
for even a third. They are not pre-
vented: the rule IL that IL they want
another helping. they must 20 TO
the end OF the line and approach
the serving-man like new applicants.
Some OF the men come back day
after day" said Inspector ..ntledgc.
We are beginning 10 recognize
them. But every day there are new
Aoes. Sometimes a clean shaven,
quite well-dressed man drops in. |
offen question those men who seem
20 be out OF place there. 10 find out
whore they come from and what
they are trying 10 do IN Detroit.
lone thing IL certain--there has
bsen no swooping down OF a horde
OF unfed men from other cities. II
thSre had been such movement OF
the unemployed. We would have
found Il out In n very short time
We would have been swamped. AS
u 10, we have reduced our original
force about .one-half, and made the
service practically automatic"
About 240 gallons OF coffee and
the same amount OF soup are being
served daily. The daily consump.
ton amounts TO 1000 loaves or
bread. about 10 huge shanks OF meat
(soup bone), three or four bushels
Of onions. about four bushels OF po-
tatoes. q bushel OF cabbage. bush
ei OF carrots. and considerable
quantity OF rice. barley and noodles.
The weekly expense Ia little over
$500 II has been found that more
food 10 consumed on cold days than
during warmer weather. In the re-
cent warm spell. the number OF serv-
ings fell to about 1000. but recently
the record has climbed again 10
about 1900.
~Many Of the men are very CRATE
ful, and show their gratitude in
many ways" says Inspector Rut-
ledge. They volunteer TO help us
clean up, to wash dishes. and to do
other small jobs about the kitchen.
when the weather warns up, and
shipowners begin TO refit their boats,
and other spring occupations open
up, I believe we shall find that the
need for the kitchen will diminish
greatly and perhaps disappear"