Norwich bulletin., 1918-09-17
HOME SERVICE HELPS.
 TO KEEP UP MORALE

The war council of the American Red Cross has planned to issue a se- ries of reports to the American peo- pie concerning the use of the first Red Cross War Fund of $100,000,000 and the plans so far perfected for future work.
 The first section of these reports covers the work of the Red Cross in caring for the families at home of Americas men in militant service. This branch of the work is what is known as the Home Service. For this community the Home Service has an office at the Elks Home on Main street where the office hours are 10 to l. a. m. and to D. m. on week days. The office is closed on Saturdays. More than 100000 families of Amer 1 ican men in service have been re- ] lieved of money troubles, or of de- pressing loneliness by the Home ser vice of the Red Cross. While money has been the least valuable contribu- | ton of Home Service to the welfare i of communities since men began to go l into training camps, still it amounted to $1.50e,000 for the first six months
 of the present year.
 More important than money are the 1 other kinds of help that are being l freely given. Problems in soldiers
 and sailors families have arisen from
 sickness, worry, perplexities in house. | hold mana cement, business and legal ! tangles, mental depression, and some | times mere longing for the man gone
 away. These things keep soldiers
 families from happiness sometimes | when there is no actual pressing need l for funds and Home Service commit tees by enlisting the aid of physicians l lawyers, business men, successful
 housekeepers and teachers, have sue cessfully aided thousands of families
 to overcome such troubles. Difficult ties arise out of the failure of some | dependents to receive their allow Iances or allotments under the wal
 risk insurance law
 A worried soldier is not a good sol -dier, and the Red Cross is saving sol
 Giers from unhappiness by taking cart
 of their families and then seeing tt
 it that the soldiers are informed tha
 things are right Twenty or more in
 quiries after the welfare of soldiers families are sent over from the army in France every day by cable and f0I more come in the daily mail to na
 tional headquarters. If conditions ar,
 such that a satisfactory answer can
 not be sent, the Red Cross Home Ser | wee makes them as near r1ght as pos
 sible and then sends it's reassuranc of further help and watchfulness. As a further contribution to the mo
 rale of the American armies. Hom Service workers are carrying on nationwide campaign to encourage tn writing of cheerful letters, in orde . that the soldiers shall not be alarme } about their loved ones left behind The purposes of Home Service ? sanctioned by the army and navy am by President Wilson, are to conserv , human resources in fighters families to relieve emergencies, to aid disable soldiers, to supply information of an !, kind to men in service or to thei families, to help families to keep pac
 with fighters who are getting broad
 CT outlook on life, and to help main
 tain the morale of our army and nav by safeguarding homes Home Ser f vice has enlisted help from all creed 1 and races and is extending it's aid t r every person who will accept it re 2 gardless of rank, religion or color ! is not charity. but only that neighbor
 Illness which is due every fighter fror v the people of the whole Unite | StatnS