Evening star., 1942-10-27
Schools Seek
Volunteers for
Lunch Project
Reconsideration Of
222Workers for War
/ Jobs Upsets System

SySASb"
An appeal for volunteer workers
to serve $500 lunches daily in
nearly 10 District schools was
broadcast by school officials today
as the Works Project Administra-
tion announced that 222 employees
who now serve the lunches are to
be reclassif1ed into war jobs or
training for war jobs.
According to Pail Rogers, Dis
trict WPA administrator, "We can
keep on preparing the lunches as
long as there is personnel in the
Wisconsin avenue Kitchen"
The difficulty, he said, will be in
handling the lunches after they
leave the kitchen around 10 o'clock
every morning.
Serving Is Main Problem.
The supplies of food and the
kitchen personnel, he explained, can
be- continued, but serving must be
turned over to volunteers for the
time being.
I'VE plan to ask the Parent
Teacher Association to take over the
JOB OF serving the lunches until
other arrangements are made" COM
mented DR.. Frank w. Ballou, su-
perintendent of schools. We did not
wish to clarity the "other arrange
ments" at present, saying the school
omcials will meet tomorrow to de-
eide which program could be fol-
lowed and which is mot possible"
At the District Building, Commits
sioners Young and Mason said, 1--WE
stand ready to lend any possible
needed aid" Both Commissioners
indicated they were anxious "to keep
this program of school lunches from
collapsing."
DR.. Ballou has instructed each
principal of elementary schools
where lunches are served, he said
TO-, ask the president of the school
PTA to appoint a committee for
handling volunteers and arranging
weekly serving schedules.
Other Volunteers Welcome.
Volunteers not connected with
PTAs will gladly be accepted by the
schools, it was stressed by Robert L.
Haycock, first assistant superintend-
ent in charge OF elementary schools,
but they must apply through the
PTA. The best method of volunteer
ing, he said, is to call elementary
schools nearby to find which of them
serves WPA lunches, and then find
the name of the president OF that
schools PTA. 4s#
Onlyahalf of the systems 140 ele-
mentary. schools serve the lunches,
and the majority of these are col
ored, MI. Haycock explained.
THE P-TA of each school will
arrange a weekly schedule" he cof1-
tinued, "sH that no one mother will
have undue strain"
A. K. Savoy, superintendent in
charge of elementary schools in di-
visions 10 to 13, stressed that volun-
teer schedules must be arranged
within two weeks so that new per-
sonnel can be trained before WPA
workers are withdrawn. WPA work.
ers have been arriving at schools
from $50 am. to 10 am. to set
tables and staying until and pm
to wash dishes.
"1t is of no use to us later" ex-
planned Mr.. Savoy. "If we are to
save the lunches it must be done
now
According to Conrad Van Hyning,
chairman of the civilian mobiliza-
ton division of the District Office
of Civilian Defense, and director of
the Board of Public Welfare, some
women from the nutrition division
of the civilian mobilization division
may volunteer to the PTA to help
with the lunches. He also added
that few persons might be found
to help in the Wisconsin avenue
kitchen from workers on District
public assistance rolls.
May Appeal to Congress.
If these or other steps fail to
meet the need, the welfare director
said, it may be necessary to appeal
to Congress for an emergency ap-
preparation with which to employ
necessary help. He said stopping of
the free lunch program would be
"very serious"
Mr.. Rogers said he would be able
to keep on the school lunch project
those workers found untitled for
work in war industries. but it was
indicated that the number retained
would not be large. Aside from the
workers engaged at the central
kitchen where the lunches are pre-
pared, there are one or two persons
at each of the 70 schools, employed
to distribute the food and collect and
wash dishes. These workers have a
30-hour week.
Food Supplied by sec.
Food for the lunches is supplied
partly by the Surplus Commodities
Corp, and partly by WPA funds
The Surplus Commodities food.
will be continued.
The WPA can keep on supplying
Its usual food and milk to the pro-
gram from the $155 900 appropria'
ton made for school lunch supplies
through the Board of Public Wei
fare.
The workers in the kitchen itself
It was explained, are dependable
persons with slight handicaps OF
some other circumstances making
them unsuitable" for private en-
ployment.
The move to reclassify WPA work.
ers here was announced yesterday
by Federal Works Administrator
Philip B. Fleming as part of a Ma.
tion-wide move to place qualified
WPA workers in industrial and farm
jobs.
Womon Gets Is Years