Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-05-13
DIET KITCHEN TO AID
IN WAR RELIEF WORK
Will Help Care for Families OF
Soldiers Called to
C0I0rs.


to feed them. 1t supplies milk If nee
essary and tells the mothers how TO
administer it. 1t also helps to care
for and advise prospective mothers IT
is, in fact. an educational body whose
object is to get the babies of WASH
ington born well and kept well.
II is consequently regarded as well
organized to help in the very vital war
work of caring for the families of
soldiers who have been called out. 1t
is in this capacity that the diet
kitchen has offered to cooperate with
the civilian relief committee in charge
of this work and it hopes by SO doing
to create useful and timely develop
ment in the activities of one of the
city's oldest charities.
An outline of the history of the
Miss Mary Gwynn, president of the or
Ranization, who said:
Started Many Years Ago.
The Washington Diet Kitchen was
started many years ago by woman
who worked in the State department.
1t is difficult now even to find her
name, though her good deed lives after
her. She had been touched by the
suffering of the poor in her neighbor
hood when they fell sick. After her
days work in Office she would make
broth and carry it herself to the need
lest cases. After time friend in
the same department helped her in the
ranged with the doctors in their vicin-
ity to deliver the broth. They carried
on this work for five years, calling it
the diet kitchen, but with no outside
help or organization.
Such work could not go on with
out attracting attention, and in 1901
IL was taken up by committee of
ladies' who had become interested, and
organized as the Washington Diet
Kitchen 1t continued on the old lines
OF furnishing broths to the sick poor,
with the addition of milk and eggs and
dinerent health foods as recommended
py the doctors. In that year the Visit
ing Nurses Association was estab-
hshed and these nurses seemed a
neaVen-sent means of distributing the
roods supplied by the diet kitchen
Necessary milk and eggs, and. as the
founder of the charity had died. the
nroth was made in the kitchen Of the
VISITING Nurses Home. The associa-
which shows how far away i'm noint of
progress it was from the day of ito
foundation.
Urged to Change Work.
After year or two of work on the
aDoVe OASIS, DR.. Woodward, the health
oHlcer, recommended that the assocja
non give only milk, as milk was more
hour1shIng than either broth or eggs
or Doth So the making and distribute
ing OF prom was abolished and the
character of the work began to change
Until 1908 no change was made hut
IN that year the present work-what is
now practically the entire work of the
9let kitchen-was inaugurated A MEM
oerNoI the Day Nursery and Dispensary
Assoc auon asked the president of the
diet kitchen IL she could allow milk to
pc given to the babies at the Neighbor-
mood House She agreed at once. A
sspe S; Iand was formed to supply these
ND h.
$fasion in Washington was established,
nat summer. which was a yery had
one. the mortality of babies in that
neishborhood was decreased 40 per
cent This was SO wonderful a return
that another milk station was started at
noel House, which met with equal sue
In the year 1sos-1o. $50 infants were
VINO came suffering from malnutr;tion
aeFeioped into strong, healthy ba bies
IN very few months. These stations
Mere taken over by Mr.. Straus, who
George NJ Oyster took them and ran
them for about a year, when they were
closed.
Third Station Opened.
In the meantime the diet kitchen
mad concentrated their efforts and re
sources on starting and running one
model milk dispensary in cooperation
Win Win the visiting nurses. This third
nntlk station was opened in 1911 ,t 81
Marys, on 23d street between e: an5
H. The milk was given out in room
under the church and the work con-
t ,r by physician and a nurse from
the Visiting Nurses Association In
jsi2 this station, too was taken over
py George 81. Oyster, as the expense of
the station was found to be too great
a draln on the special fund of the
Gief Kitchen allotted for the burmese
but the association hoped and intendad
70 go on with that branch of the work
me moment they could. And it was not
long before they could
In 1913 the diet kitchen had SIC o,,r
headquarters in West WASHINGTON ~
.3ZZ Zsth street. under the charge of
IT'S own graduate nurse and every
morning from to IL baby confer
ence was held by well known nhvs;
clans. home modification Of milk was
Taught, and free milk was supplied 10
an VINO needed ii. The nur&e followed
~ the cases IN their own homes con-
tinuing the instruction on infant feed
ing, teaching hygiene and diet and car
ing for the sick of all ages that came
under her notice. as she went about her
work
Better Babies Contest Started.
In the same year the first better
babies contest was held in Wasbjns-
ION IL was a great success then. as II
mas been ever since. The babies were
atau are rugged by their physical per-
1ectlon, their beauty, and are examined
by some of the best known child sne-
claIists among the doctors Of Washing
Mon. Those examinations often brought
p light imperfections not apparent in
ordinary iagnosis-imperfectio
fnetimes very easily cured at that
te but which. If left to themselves.
light grow TO he serious burdens 10
ne child in later life
In 1914 the diet kitchen assumed
the responsibility for all the infant
welfare work in the city of Washing
Ton. and had branched out further bv
ihst'uung prenatal conferences for
.be mother. This has become yery
important part of the work and the
care ana instruction given the mothers
mas had most excellent results,
In 1915 the second better baby con-
TEST was held. and 800 bs, bles were on
Tered Miss Margaret Wilson presented
the prizes and certificates The Won
an Rome Companion greatly aided in
inns by giving the score cards and
helping with their experience in other
cities as to how best to conduct such a
contest.
Five Centers Now in Capital.
AT present there are five infant VOL
fare centers in Washington at three of
which four prenatal conferences are
held weekly A special nurse has been
added TO the stan to do field work She
covers board of health cases. where