The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1918-01-17
Hearken to This Appeal

Ahrough the kindness OF the ed |
ltor of The Herald, the executive
committee of the local Red Cross /
Chapter takes this means of con-
veying to the public some of the
difficulties under which we are la |
boring. In the drive for new
members just before Christmas,
we decided to ask for monthly sub
scriptions from our citizens,
whether they belonged or did not
belong to the Red Gross Associa-
ton. We are not supplied with
funds to carry on our work, by
the national association. we are
required to raise all the money we
use in our allotted district. Not
only this, but, when we get mem
bership for our chapter, we are re-
quired to send one half of the
membership fee to the national
headquarters. When we made
the drive for the great hundred
million war fund some months
back, we were allowed to keep on
| ly one-fourth Of what we raised.
That which goes to the head
quarters is used for quick relief to
the afflicted in the war zone and
| for equipping and maintaining
ambulances, hospitals, and for
drugs. What we keep, we use for
buying supplies to make surgical
dressings, hospital garments, and
wool for knitted articles.
Up to the present time, we have
been able to make dressings and
garments that have cost the least
money, because we didn't have
the funds to buy better material.
There are dressings that cost as
/ high as 3S cents each, which we
have not attempted to make, be-
cause it takes certain number to
fill a box and this box is much
more expensive when filled with
it's quota of dressings than the
cheaper ones that we have been
putting our time on.
Blanket robes for convalescents
are greatly needed, but We haven t
the money to buy this material,
which costs far more than the out
ing flannel we are now using for
hospital garments. 1t is very nee
essary to have a constant supply
of funds, if we are to have a con-
slant supply of material to work
on. Up to the present time, when
we have needed money we have
given an entertainment of some
kind, but we usually find our
selves very poorly paid for the i'm
mense amount of effort we expend.
If we could get a constant in
come so that we would not have to
slacken up work until new mate
rial may be bought, we could turn
out a great deal more work. II
300 persons would spare us 25c a
month, we would then have e.
nough money to keep 100 women
in our town busy. Does 25c seem
too much for you to spare for this
great cause? Just stop and con-
ider; your Csc. will help to send
everal thousand dressings for the
wounded from this chapter every
month.
In the fall, two ships were tor
pedoed on their way to France
and two million surgical dressings
went down with them. The doc
tors were at that time compelled
to use newspapers to take the
place of the lost dressings, Don t
you want to help replace them?
We are going to send committee
of two ladies to you the coming
week to get your pledge that you
will give us a stipulated sum OF
money every month, so that our
Red Cross Chapter can be kept
busy. Give at least Is cents
month, if you can't give more,
and, if you can give more, please
do so, and then we can do our part
toward getting different materials
to work with than those we have,
so far, been able to afford.
When Mrs. j. M. Weeks ana
Mrs. C. G.. Davis call on you the
coming week for monthly sub
scription, have your money ready