Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-03-31
Officials Seek
Total Of Hunqry
In DC. Schools
Differ on Number
Of Pupils Needing
Free Food Tickets.
BY JAMES G. DEANE

The District will embark to-
morrow on the second week Of
an emergency child-feeding pro-
gram with officials still puzzled
about how many children they
are really trying to feed.
The Salvation Army, under
District government instructions.
a week ago yesterday began
issuing tickets good for free gro
ceries to needy parents.
The emergency food grants
ore going to practically all
Corners. The sole requirement.
aside from having children and
being in an apparent state of
need. is that the applying fam
lilies be District residents.
AS of yesterday, 242 families
with about $50 children had
taken up the city's offer. The
total grocery bill to date is ap-
proximately $500. officials ex-
pect to begin processing repeats
tomorrow since the grocery or
ders being given out are mostly
intended to be sufficient for one
week.
Welfare Department funds will
be drawn upon to reimburse the
Salvation Army.
Legislation Studied
The food distribution is to last
for three more weeks. A subcom-
mittee of the Senate, headed by
Senator Morse, Democrat Of Ore
gon, is considering legislation to
set UP a longer-term feeding
program.
City officials and private well
fare leaders a week ago had no
idea Of the number of children
who might be in need of free
food. Yesterday they did not have
a much better notion.
Donald Brewer, deputy public
welfare director. who has been
supervising the emergency pro-
gram at the city'S end, said the
242 families who have received
food so far are about what
expected" But when asked how
many hungry children there
might be In the city, he said he
didn't know.
Welfare Director Gerard NJ.
Shea also said he didn't know
So did Isadore Seeman. execu-
tive director of United Commu-
nifty Services. who helped to get
the food program launched.
No Definition of Hungry"
Mr.. Brewer agreed with a sue-
gestion that the families with
the hungriest children might
reasonably be expected to have
turned up by now to claim their
food tickets. But he said there
might be others little less hun
cry.
One problem. he said. is that
no one has defined exactly what
is meant by hungry" in terms
OF deciding who does or doesn I
merit a food handout. No tangi-
BILE standards at all-except the
requirement of District residence
have been set UP for deciding
whether a family gets help. Vir-
tually all families applying SO
far have got it.
Another problem is that nc
one has yet had time to do much
checking to see what happens to
the food after it is handed over
in exchange for a food ticket
Some families. city welfare work.
ers know from long experience
presumably are making better
use of it than others.
The head of a settlement house
in the Southwest frankly told
Senator Morse last week that
he couldn't promise that can
of beans wouldn't disappear out
the back door to be traded for
something else. The question was
raised when the witness was
asked whether his institution
would be willing to distribute
free food and certify that it was
being used for the purpose in
tended.
Morse Tackles Problem
Senator Morse said the city
would have to have confidence
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