Evening star., 1937-10-03

With Washington's civic conscience
stirred at the plight of more than
1000 school children who face hunger
at the noon recess, the Citizens Emer-
gency Committee. leading a campaign
TO relieve this distress. planned last
night to start providing free lunches
for the needy pupils within a week, if
possible.
The lunches will begin as soon as a
months expense has been uI.aerwrit-
ten, it was decided. with the Commit
tee certain the second months funds
will be forthcoming and succeeding
months financed from an ambitious
group of benefit shows and from other
sources.
The first of long series OF bene-
fits. an aerial circus. drew crowd TO
College Park Airport yesterday, and
the gravity-defying stunt flyers will
repeat their performance at pm.
today. Funds derived from the ad-
mission charge to the air shows will
go to the free-lunch fund. Other
beneflts-ranging from boxing bouts
10 classic dramas-are being planned
rapidly.
A Practical Problem.
Mrs. John Boyle, jr., chairman OF
the Citizens Emergency Committee,
emphasized that there is more than
an emotional appeal, g sob story" in
seeing thousands of helpless children
go without their lunches. 1t is, she
pointed out, practical problem-even
good business, if you want to put it
on that basis-for a community which
is paying for the education of its
children to see that they are physical
~ sound, SO that they may derive full
benefit from their instruction.
She pointed to the death rate in the
District from tuberculosis, and the
child mortality rate here in general, as
Shocking evidence" of undernourish-
ment
While the number of children re-
quiring free food has been estimated
at something over 1000, Mrs Boyle
feels that this is a conservative esti-
mate. She pointed out also that, as
Winter advances. poor families find
their budgets increased by having to
buy fuel and heavy clothing and are
increasingly less able to provide the
hot lunches the children need so
badly
I'VE are confident" she said, that
Washington will provide the 100000
necessary to meet this imperative need
during the school year. But we are
not waiting for the whole sum to be
raised. We expect to have the first
two months underwritten by organiza-
tions and individuals, and by then
funds from the various benefit enter
tainments which are being planned
should be arriving in sufficient
amounts to keep the lunches going"
w. P. A. to Cooperate.
The w. P A. is ready to cooperate
by paying 262 women with dependent
families a security wage to cook and
serve the lunches. Mrs. Mary Steele,
W. P. A. official, assured the committee
all "red tape" would be cut, and she
anticipated no difficulty in carrying out
this arrangement as an emergency
measure.
Funds with which to underwrite the
first month already are in sight Op-
portunity House has pledged $4,000,
and committee will bend efforts to
raise an additional $1,000 this week
and start serving the lunches.
Members of the committee had an
engagement today to confer with Buck
Baker. retired circus clown, concerning
his offer to provide benefit show for
the lunch fund.
The special steering committee will
meet during the day to map plans for
the week. 1t is headed by Arthur
Clarendon Smith and includes Mrs.