The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-12-17

The Salvation Army in the United States will play Santa Claus in a bigger way this Christmas than ever before in the 65 years of it's history in. this country, it was announced today by Commissioner Donald M. McMillan, national secretary.
 More than 100000 persons, in cluding convalescent veterans, old people and children in needy fam lilies, will be remembered by Salva- ton Army Corps and units through out the nation, Commissioner Me Milan said.
 As usual, thousands of volunteers have been or will be aiding the Army in this work from now until the final Christmas cheer is dis pensed.
 Christmas services will take the form of cash assistance, clothing, grocery orders, gifts, and Christmas baskets and other services that will answer specific family needs. The estimate of 1,048,5l8 Christmas serv- ices this year will exceed by ten percent those of 1914.
 Sunshine Baskets"
 Convalescent veterans will be among the recipients of more than 2S8, ,240 sunshine baskets" that are now being prepared in all parts of the country by Salvation Army Home leagues, Leagues of Mercy and volunteers. Veterans in many hos pitals will profit by returned over seas Christmas packages sent to servicemen who recently returned to this country. Many large companies which mailed these packages in the early fall specified that any un- claimed packages be returned to the Salvation Army.
 Approximately 380,0O0 children are scheduled to attend Christmas parties at Salvation Army head quarerS and units.
 Christmas dinners, or their equiv- alent in checks or grocery orders, will be taken by Salvation Army workers to approximately 350,000 persons, including the aged, shut-ins and the needy.
 Many Salvation Army Divisional centers have stopped giving food or providing dinners on Christmas day to the needy, according to Commis- sioner McMillan, and are guided in their presents by actual needs. Clothing, fuel, artificial legs or wheel chairs come under this cate gory of gift.
 In most of the large cities or towns, Salvation Army headquarters or units are traditionally hosts to transients and others without fam ilieS at 'sit-doWn" dinners, and these will continue to be given to possibly 35,00O.
 Visit Prisons
 Visitation of prisoners in jailS and prisons of the country, with special gifts, is a regular Christmas custom of the Salvation Army. The Salvation Army will hold Christmas parties in Sing Sing penitentiary arlc in many local prisons through out the country.
 Salvation Army USO clubs in the United States will have Christmas trees and parties for servicemen, who will help decorate the trees about one week before Christmas.
 Yuletide serenades by Salvation Army bands are held every year in parks or public buildings of many cities. The most interesting sere- made of this kind in New York city is the annual Christmas concert by the Salvation Army in the New York Stock Exchange on Wall street.
 This year, the Salvation Army ex- poets to make free distribution in hospitals and jails of approximately one million pieces of Christmas lit- erature. calendars and religious pamphlets.
 Waterburians Remembered
 Captain John Van Gould reports 143 applications for Christmas din- ners have been received in Water bury already and others are expect ed daily. Last year the Army sup piled dinners to 97 families. This year III families numbering 516 per sons. were given Thanksgiving din ners, while in 1914 only 79 families were fed. The increase In seasonal requests for material assistance is due to employment being at lower level this year than in 1944. More emphasis Is being given this year to the needs of the families of serv- icemen, as well as to servicemen