Evening star., 1937-09-26
Ticket Sale Plan Is approved,
Lunch Fund Drire's WavCleared
Hazen Agrees to Police
and Firen1en Aid for
Benefit Fight.

beneVJ flgnt.
Reports of children fainting at their
desks from malnutrition in several
District schools started four years ago
the drive that ended in free hot
lunches for needy children.
Yesterday the way was cleared for
q campaign to prevent recurrence Of
such incidents when Commissioner
Hazen agreed to allow police and fire.
men to sell tickets to the benefit prize
fight planned as the first event to
raise part of the 100000 necessary to
maintain the lunch service
AS the result OF the energy of
newspaper reporter. the philanthropy
of wealthy Washington woman, and
the cooperation of a committee of
more than 500 public-spirited men and
men, a free hot lunch service was
opened in 1888 that last year provided
at its peak for 8,424 undernourished
children.
Ten Trucks Delivered Meals.
From a kitchen in a made-over
school building at 1910 Wisconsin
avenue, stated with more than so
cooks, dieticians and sandwich makers,
10 trucks daily drove more than 900
miles to deliver the hot meals to SO
public and seven parochial schools,
where 164 housekeepers took charge Of
their distribution.
In the first year, financed by $40, 900
donated by Mrs Eleanor Patterson
and administered by an executive
committee including Mrs. Patterson.
the Rev. J. A. Ryan OF the National
Catholic Welfare Council, Brig. Gen.
Pelham D. Glassford. Mrs. John Boyle.
jr.: Mrs. Leslie B. Wright and Mat
thew Boyd, food was given daily to
1,700 children.
The following year. private funds
being exhausted, the project was
taken over by the District Government
and operated under the public
assistance division under s84,70255,
taken from Federal Emergency Relief
Administration funds.
Fund Set Aside.
That same year, 1894, Mrs. Boyle,
chairman of the 1888 Lunch Com
mittee, worked strongly on Capitol
Hill for inclusion Of the lunch project
in the regular District relief appro-
priation for 1895 and succeeded In
having mot more than $4,000 Of
the $4,00o,000 relief fund set aside
which shall be used to feed necessi-
tous children.
C,theAo,,av,tlv, ~r1~l;-~
changed to may be used" and, under
the appropriation, Welfare Director
Elwood Street wrote up the project
to include not only labor but materials
without using the special fund.
Lunches were dispensed that year to
7,400 children daily.
In November, 1895, school lunches
took project number and went to
work under the Works Progress Ad-
ministration as Public Schools Project
No. 66 and parochial Schools Project
No. 142. Things ran smoothly until
curtailed relief appropriations this
year forced the announcement by the
w. P. A. that Federal funds are avail
able only for labor expenses In keeping
with its employment purpose, and not
for materials.
Project Appeared Doomed.
With no money carried in the Dis
trict bill that could be used to make
up the non-labor costs, the project
seemed doomed and schools opened
with the central kitchen empty and
unproductive.
Once more Mrs. Boyle went into
action.
In AZ States free lunches were being
supplied with funds raised by bene-
fits staged by private organizations.
1t could be done here she thought.
Assembling a committee represent
ing most of the business. social and
religious organizations in Washington.
benefit boxing card was soon ar
ranged with Fight Promoter Joe
Turner for October IL at Grifith
Stadium. The show. originally planned
for October IL, was moved up to pre-
vent conflict on the latter date with
Columbus day events, according to an
announcement by Turner yesterday.
Benefit sale Of boxes at the perform
ance of the opera "Rigoletto" at Con-
stitution Hall october II was also
launched and efforts are being made
to arrange an all-star foot ball game
between local aces and the profess
sional Redskins.
Goal Set at 100000.
The financial goal has been set
at 100000, one-third of which
should be raised before the project
is resumed, Mrs. Boyle said. As
surance has been given by Mrs. Mary
Steele, director of women's and pro-
fessional projects of the w. P. A.,
that 262 people are ready to start
on the project the moment operat-
ing money is available. Mrs. Steele
estimated the annual cost per pupil
would be S13.
In his letter to Mrs. Boyle yester-
day, Hazen, in granting the permit
to police and firemen when q boxing
permit has been obtained, the sane