| Show more than million in twenty states fed by red cross volunteers hot school lunches and balanced rations given to drought victims seed programs instituted on wide scale more than persons in drought stricken counties 0 of 20 states camo came under the care ot of the american red cross in what developed into the most extensive relief operations in halt half a century ot of ministering to stricken humanity measures to lessen the severity bof 0 the blow inflicted by drought were taken as early as last september when seed was distributed to more than as families tor for the planting ot of rye and other pastures and to more than families tor for the planting ot of kitchen gardens the expenditure for or this purpose amounted to green vegetables were made available up to the first ot of january early in february another red cross garden program got under way and packages of seed were distributed in 15 states quarter acre plots were planted to beans beets beeta cabbage carrots collard sweet corn kale lettuce mustard okra onions peas spinach squash tomatoes and turnips once again were farm families given the opportunity to participate in their own salvation A comparatively mild winter contributed to the success of the spring and fall seed campaigns many habitual single croppers were introduced to the advantages of kitchen gardens balanced cropping and balanced diet numerous landowners land owners have expressed the opinion that this constitutes the one apparent blessing to come out of the drought catastrophe the united states department of agriculture and 1 the local county agricultural agents and home demonstration agents cooperated la in making this part ot of the operations outstandingly successful balanced meals served red cross feeding was aimed at adequacy and scientific correctness as i well as simple economy in large numbers of schools where children were found to be attending with little or nothing in their lunch boxes hot meals were served at noon A typical menu consisted of vegetable soup and bread one day thick beet beef soup or stew with vegetables another day cocoa or milk and cheese peanut butter or jam sandwiches a third day in some places where lunches were not served in the schools but were provided tor for in the regular food orders each family having school children received extra staples for school lunches including peanut butter raisins raising prunes and tomatoes red cross nutritionists instructed mothers in the preparation of lunches county health officers and private physicians commended the adequacy of rations procured on orders issued by red cross chapters which were filled at local stores besides the usual staples such as corn meal flour lard meat beans and potatoes such items as canned salmon cabbage tomatoes vegetables and milk were provided each order being adapted to the special needs of the family tor for whom it was issued where pellagra threatened eggs yeast and other preventives were given thousands of volunteer workers worker many thousands ot of volunteers through their local red cross chapters gave freely of their time experience and efforts as in other red cross disaster di operations they searched out needy cases in their communities many persons being restrainer restrain eu from asking assistance because of pride chapter committees investigated circumstances cum stances distributed food and clothing I 1 more than carloads of foodstuffs I 1 were contributed these were given I 1 tree free haulage by railroads I 1 of more fortunate sections embraced the opportunity to help their pastoral cousins ot of the aff affected arted area shipments ranged from live poultry to fish from grain to grapefruit grape truit carloads of flour eggs beans vegetables onions rice corn and mixed vegetables were in eluded As the result ot of coordinated co red cross chapter efficiency eH clency not one authenticated case of starvation as a result of drought has been uncovered large quantities ot of new and used clothing were distributed in direct consequence many school children resumed their studies who had been kept at home lor for lack of sufficient protection from the elements in some gome instances rural schools that had been dosed closed were enabled to reopen as a result of red cross relief work states involved were alabama ar kansas georgia illinois indiana ken tucky louisiana maryland mingle sippi missouri montana north carolina north dakota ohio oklahoma pennsylvania tennessee texas virginia west virginia many of these states had been hard hit bit by a succession of floods crop tall fail ures ores low prices and economic depres sion and drought constituted a climax to the cycle of distress wherever I 1 went wrote one ob server 1 I made a point of asking what would have happened it if the red cross had not been able to respond in wide ly scattered altered att ered points from leading cial zens lens cape the answer that undoubted ly there have hern many deaths directly fac wah epidemics preying inder nour abed |
