Evening star., 1927-03-10
WELFARE GROUPS
SEEK MORE FUNDS
Steady Increase Reported in
Expenditures for Needy
Families in District.

For the second time In recent years
the two boards of the Associated Char
tiles and Citizens Relief Association
held O. Joint session yesterday after
noon at the Social Service House TO
consider ways and means or meeting
the steadily mounting relief expendi-
lures of these family welfare agencies.
whose funds have been raised for the
past 20 years through joint appeals.
Those present from the Associated
Charities board were Miss Mabel +
Boardman, Dwight Clark. Judge VII
liam. H. DE Lacy, Franklin ii. Ellis,
Charles G.. Glover, jr. Arthur HELEN,
Mrs. Archibald Hopkins, Miss Helen
Nicolay, Miss Florence =. Spofford,
DR.. Anson Phelps Stokes and n. O..
Smithy. The board of the Citizens
Relief Association was represented by
Evan II. Tucker and Mrs. Ellen Spen-
GER Mussey, vice presidents. and Wal
ter e. Cephane, Miss Louise David
son, A. J. Driscoll, Wallace Hatch
Louis A. Simon and Coleman Jen.
nings. Mr.. Jennings, az a member or
both boards and chairman OF the AS
sociated Charities board, presided.
The secretary, Walter $. Unord
showed q series of lantern slides, CIV
ing figures as to the steady growth IN
material relief in recent years. In
1915 the total amount expended solely
for relief was SIS 080. Last year the
total for the same purpose had grown
to $49,S5 which was an increase OF
25 per cent over the previous year
Increase Has Continued.
Since the beginning of the new
fiscal year of these agencies, Octo-
Der /, 1926, the increase has con-
tinued amounting to $29,236 for the
past FIVE months, as compared with
$21,730 for the same period or last
year. This is an increase OF $I,0O6,
or 33 per cent.
Figures recently collected by the
Russell Sage Foundation in its study
of family welfare work over the en-
tire country indicate that Washing
ton is no exception to this general
rule, that practically every large city
is having the same experience. Fari-
Gus reasons are offered for this
steady increase in calls for assistance.
They are much the same everywhere
and include a closer study of indi-
vidual family needs, when sickness
or distress come and more adequate
giving is required to meet these
needs; increased interest in the well
fare of children in such dependent
homes with instruction to the moth
ers as to correct feeding, the album
dant use of pure milk and green
vegetables as recommended by
nutrition workers, the growth OF
population in all our large cities and
the maintained cost of doing relief
work with the purchasing power OF
the dollar so much less than in pre-
war times.
More Families Cared For.
The visitors of the Associated
Charities reported 511 families under
care in February as compared with
457 for February. 1926. In order to
meet this heavy increase in calls for
assistance the society has employed
additional workers. Sickness con-
tinues to be the chief immediate cause
of need in the families under care as
reported by these social workers. or
the All such families, 326 were found
to be suffering from sickness or physi-
cal disability of one sort or another.
In order to meet the present emer-
gency, the joint finance committee OF
these two family welfare organizations
have been obliged, it was reported at
the meeting yesterday, to fix the pre-
Easter campaign goal at a minimum
sum of $4,000 as compared with
$50 900 last year. The campaign Will
open with the annual meeting of the
Associated Charities at Rauscher's
on Monday evening, April 4. Corcoran
Thorn is chairman of the joint finance
committee and Ord Preston, treasurer.