Evening star., 1915-11-21
Welfare Movement Being Car
ried on in Washington by
Diet Kitchen.
GREAT INCREASE IN WORK
CALLS FOR MORE FUNDS
Residents of City Asked to Con-
tribute to Insure Health and Hap
piness for Infants.


the country today, typifying movement
which proposes to accomplish a sane.
practical good. This slogan, which is a
plea and premise in one, is this: Bet
ter Babies Has the message reached
you and you have needed it?
There is in Washington an organiza-
tion which is doing big things toward
the general end aimed at in the infant
welfare movement. The organization is
known as The Washington Diet Kitchen.
Its work, its accomplishment, the praise
accorded it by physicians and hospitals.
the strides it has taken toward insuring
Better Babies for the District, have
been source of pride to those who were
familiar with these things. Has the
story of the facts prompted you to add
your name to the list of those who have
found 1t possible to insure better
chance for health and happiness to the
babies of Washington by a subscription
toward the support of the organization!
If not consider the following facts:
Now in Need of Funds.
The Diet Kitchens are at present in
need of funds with which to carry on
their work, which has in the past year
increased by leaps and bounds. In
crease in the work has caused corre-
spending need for new names on the
subscription list.
Hitherto all the expenses of the or
ganization have been borne by COM
pAratively small number OF Washing
tonians. 1t is now proposed to iaunch
campaign for a larger list OF suoscrin-
ers to be composed of, all who are will
ing to push the work from year to year
by an annual subscription of 81.
The Star vouches for the worthiness
of the organization. 1t urges you to
addressed to the Diet Kitchen Fund,
Evening Star building. 1t undertakes
to transmit your gift to those in charge
of the organization. 1t will, from day
to day, publish a list of those who have
lent their aid and encouragement to
the movement. and it will keep you
posted as to the success of the cam
paign.
year will be taken as an indication
that you will be ready to subscribe
q similar amount next year, II at tnat
time the charity still appeals to you
No pledge or promise to this eHect
will be asked, however. '..-'
Resume of Movement.
The majority Of the readers of The
Star are familiar with the work and
aims Of the Diet Kitchens. They have
been yold in these columns of the in
ception of the scheme and its steady
progress and success. For the benefit
of those who have not hitherto appreci-
ated the real nature of the work which
the organization is carrying on, the
following Brief resume Of the move
ment is published:
1t should be borne in mind that the
movement is not primarily a philan-
thropical or charitable one. but should
be classed as civic work. 1t aims to
centralize preventive and educational
efforts toward infant beterment under
one organization; to encourage mater
nal nursing; to encourage the use OF
pure milk: to teach the value of home
modification of milk and to mitigate
the unhappy results of evil environ
ment. ignorance. superstition. prejudice
and poverty, which must obtain with
out scientific advice to those who need
1t most. In a word. 1t proposes to teach
mothers of the District. who would
otherwise be unable to obtain such
instruction. how to care for their chill
dren in such a manner as to insure
their development into healthy speci-
mems of manhood and wonlanhood.
The, organization had its inception
in 1901. when certain women of the
district, recognizing the urgent need
for such an institution, gathered to
formulate plans for the giving of food,
to the District poor In 1905 a scheme
distributed through the agency of the
Visiting Nurses Association. Owing to
the growth and development of this
work. 1t was deemed advisable, in
1913. for those concerned in the COL
lection of funds, whereby the food was
obtained, to handle the distribution
themselves as their own agents.
First Milk Station in 1907.
Prior to this. in 1907, dispensary
OF milk station had been established
at. Neighborhood House. In 1912 the
fsst infant welfare station along the
present lines was established. the aims
OF which were to teaEh mothers how
TO; take care of children in their own
homes. In 1914 all the intensive in
FAINT welfare work o< the District was
turned over to the Diet Kitchen.
Starting on necessarily small scale,
the work has embraced the supervision
of: more than / 500 children during the
past year. An interesting fact to be
noted is that since the inception of the
scheme the infant mortality rate for
the District has been rapidly declining,
and no small part of this accomplish
nIfnt has been attributed by doctors
and hospitals of the District to the
Diet Kitchen.
These are a few of the facts briefly
tdid. The Diet Kitchens feel confident
that the publication of such facts will
insure an eager response from those
of the District who are interested in
the civic betterment of Washington.
The 3ist of subscribers will start to-
morrow. You are urged to be among