Evening star., 1938-02-13
Welfare Authorities Cire
Vielus on School Lunch Fund
''Feed Hungry School Children, but DO
NotNeglect Their Hungry Brothers
and Sisters" Is Sentiment.

rector Of the Community Chest" and
that Il never gave any particular at
tention to the plan and certainly never
opposed it,"
w. p. A. Continued Project.
The w. p. A. continued the project
until last fall, when lack of Federal
funds caused Mrs. Mary Steele, direc-
tor of the Women's Professional Prof.
ects, D, c. Works Progress Administra-
ton, to appeal to civic organizations
OF Washington to contribute funds with
which to carry on the feeding. Mrs.
Steele announced she would provide
labor for preparing and distributing
the lunches.
Mrs. Boyle promptly launched a
campaign to raise private funds. She
was made president of the Citizens
Permanent Committee, Inc, which
was formed to undertake an intensive
money-ralSing drive through a series
of benefit performances and other
projects. There was financially sue
cessful football game, sponsored by the
Variety Club. There was not so sue
ceSSful series of magic shows. There
was health bond" campaign, in
VolVlng prospective publication of a
magazine on child psychology and
kindred topics.
And there were the colorful but
trouble-plagued velvet ball and the
snort-hved "Unc Ezra's country store
and dance" project. The velvet ball
ran into difficulties when the Better
Business Bureau expressed its dislike
OF professional promoter from New
York City, hired by the committee to
stage the affair The committee paid
the promoter $3.50 to tear up his
contract. Other heavy expenses were
encountered, with the result that the
committee says it will not know
whether money was made or lost until
final audit is made. The audit has
been delayed until all receipts are in,
according to Mrs. Boyle. The country
store and dance plan was abandoned
after the ball.
Unable to Make Payment.
Unable to make an $4,000 payment
on December Is to the trust fund set
up by the District P w. A. for school
luhcheonS, Mrs. Boyle undertook to
nave her committee handle food pur-
chaseS thereafter in order to continue
the lunches as long as possible.
When the committees funds became
exhausted. she called on the District
government to turn over to her ap-
proXlmately $4,000 remaining in the
lunch trust fund. When this request
was refused on legal grounds, she for
Warded to the District bills for milk
and other food incurred by the COM
mlttee in expectation of receiving the
trust fund.
NOW the Commissioners have re-
quested OF Congress an emergencv an
preparation of $4,000 with which to
continue the lunches through the
school year. Meanwhile they have
received permission from the P. w. A.
10 eXpend several thousand dollars
from other relief allotments in order
10 carry on the lunch service until
Congress acts.
since the free lunch plan appeared
10 De at crossroads. The Star re-
queSted the opinion of a number of
welfare leaders on the sproject.
Temporary Panacea."
Mrs. w. A. Roberts, executive sec
retary of the Washington Council of
Social Agencies. which represents
many of the city's prominent char
liable organizations, said she regards
the school lunch program as a tenn
porary panacea' with certain disad-
vantages, chiefly that children who are
singled out for free feeding are likely
% be Inundated, and that the plan
oScrlmlnates against hungry persons
at home.
Il think it is inconsistent for the
commissioners to cut down on the
budget for family relief" she said,
and then turn around and request
tunds to feed a part of the family
attending school, leaving the rest to
go hungry"
Mrs. Roberts said she had reference
to the fact that the Board of public
Welfare asked for $4,000, 900 for re-
lief OF employables and unemplov-
aoles and for aid to dependent chill
dren, only to have the request cut bv
the commissioners to $1,2OO.OOO before
forwarding 1t to the Budget Bureau.
The Budget Bureau then reduced the
amount to 100000. which is the
sum approved by the House.
Questions Effect on Children.
Herbert L. Willett. jr., director of
the Community Chest, had this to say
OF the lunch plan:
AS q general policy, I can't help
but question the effect on children of
having to be known by their school,
mates as recipients of charity. I
am always conscious that a hungry
Schoolchlld comes from a family
where there is hunger in the home. and
l find myself picturing younger chill
dren with no provision of food per-
maps suffering the more because the
public, aware of its effort to feed
the older brother or sister at school
lunch. completely forgets the home
problem.
I wish our efforts could be more
unitedly concentrated toward provid-
ing adequate relief, so no child could
be hungry in any home in WASH
ington. This means more adequate
relief appropriations where unem-
ployment or unemployability is the
sole problem and more adequate con-
trlbutions for use by the family agen-
cles Of the Community Chest in
helping to rehabilitate families where
other problems complicate the home
situation.
Il also feel strongly that when a
program, no matter how meritorious
IN lts application, depends, for its
Iunds on a constant succession of
functions which necessarily involve
Representatives very considerable
s%x,y-