Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-22
$4,000 IN DEBT,BUT
NOLET.UP IN GIVING
I'VE Are Starving" Says Fam
lily to Angel Of Kensington';
"Come In and Eat"
A REAL HOME OF MERCY

A haggard faced young woman. stu
in her twenties, with two little. girls
clinging to her skirts and third in her
arms, knocked yesterday morning az tne
door Of the Kensington Neighborhood
House. 3O6S Frankford avenue.
To Mrs. NJ. W. Ketchum. the Angel
Of Kensington." who opened the door,
she said: -,
Come in." said Mrs. Ketchum,
leading the way to the dining room
I'VE are $4,000 in debt. but you and
YOUR little ones shall be fed
In silence the mother and her two
older children. the eldest being siX, ate
ravcnously. while the two-ycar-oid chisd
had two cups of milk.
Having eaten. the woman sald
There Drc two more to feed at home.
I have a four. months. old baby-she
will not be the last. My husband mas
not eaten since yesterday morning. lie
is i'll and has not worked for months.
And our rent has not been paid for two
months.
Armed with a basket Of provisions.
Miss Christina J.ulie, the Settlement
House '.visitor.'' accompanied The
woman to her home---rathcr to her two
rooms-whcre the family Of six lived.
Shc found that the house in which they
lived was being bought in installmenta
by a poor woman and her husband.
Without the money from the rooms they
rented they could not meet the install :
ments.
Miss Lllie paid some Of the back rent
and departed. after promising that the
needs Of the family would be supplied.
.'That." said Mrs. Ketchum yester-
day. "is our latest ca@. We are caring
for more than 100 families in Kensing-
ton who are in dire want. supplying
them with clothes. rent and food baskets
daily. / estimate that so per cent Of
the mill workers in kensington are out
Of jobs. II is not due to strikes. simply
to economic conditions. We are already
$4,000 in debt. Half Of that VIC hone to
raise by subscription and the rest by a
concert We nrc giving In Witherspoor
Hall on Friday night. when the Phila
dclphia Male Quartet and several as
sistng artists will participate.
THE Kensington Neighborhood House
and the Richmond Soup Society are one
unit. IT is nor. .secretarian. Its work.
ers contribute their services gratui
tously.
The homo Of the Noighborhood House
was owned by Mrs. Kctchum before she
gave it to the organization for which
She labors. 1t is a busy spot. sort o
charitable community center.
Cooking instructions are given or
Wednesday afternoon. As many of thu
women Of Kcnsington arc mill worker!
before they marry. they do not know
how TO cook. The kitchen of the Neigh.
borhood House will accommodate only
eight. but it is planned to enlarge it a.
soon as the funds are on hand.
; Thursday afternoons find from ninety
to 115 women with babies in their arm
! waiting for the weekly clinic conducted
BY DR.. Benjamin Left. who gives hi
services. There are always some sicl
bu bies present The rest of the babe
are weighed and checked up by tw,
district nurses in attendance.
| Thus did "Kensington's Angel out
line the work of, the institution to whic
she has given her life.
'It cant be stopped she said. ''eve
though we are getting deeper and deepe
in debt. as the need for aiding other
continues. Help will come from som
direction, but it cant conc too soon."