CHRISTMAS CHEER

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 111, 7 November 1933, Page 9

CHRISTMAS CHEER

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —Once again I crave the hospitality of your columns in grateful memory of your past kindness in. inserting appeals from me. ' ' ...■'.',.

Tho Wellington City Mission is one of those charitable agencies which is ever before the public with' extended hands, and while I thoroughly agree that there ought to be some sort of co-ordination between existing charitable agencies I-do want to point out that the Wellington City Mission deals with fields of charity covered by no other agencies. And here we are again approaching Christmas, and we have our programme for the festive season, a programme we have carried out'for the past fourteen years, and which involves" an expenditure of at least £GOO.

Our camps for boys and girls have become an institution, the camp sites are generously given by racing clubs, and this year we want to take 300. children for two weeks into the country., I would remind readers that'these children are the child-, ren of relief workers, and can pay rioth-. ing for their camp subscription, ..the. child-, ren.get real joy out of these carn^sv and mother has a happy. -spell,* fre&d"'front' the. responsibilities- of; her; children for two; weeks of-the'school .holidays/. ■ i'-/'--" --- ■ Then we have bur regular family'of fifty old,-iolk, 200 m'en.ih our :Men's: Shelter*; and, twelve boysjn ; the hostel;-.We must: give, them all a decent Christmas dinner, an"d a wee present besides. ■ ; • ....... •And' then we have.at.least eighty fcjifl-. .ief.whose c.ircurn.starice's : are'-'■\£ell"lii)bwn' to'-is,' and ;to eadh of whom we-, give' ;a' grocery order of 10s-.-td'.enable 'ttoem'io tide-over' Christmas.'We . think the grocery order is better than a hattiper;--r ■"

"And we : are foolish: enough.'to beKese "that even in these hard times, we must do pur, best to give toys,to. those-who; but for -us would have .none, and. so besides asking for Cash donations we 'also, invite donations of toys. ."'... ■ ..,, , ';...

.- The public have always most generously supported this Christmas ■ appeal," and- I feel sure that in spite of the hard times/ and in spite of the constant "giving, they will respond this year to the measure of their ability. , ...'.. . , •

lam certain that if each of-us extends our Christmas giving to.'.'some stranger in the gate" -we shall by so doing increase our own Christmas joy,.. Thanking you in anticipation of your kindness in inserting this letter.—l am, etc., .

T. FIELDEN .TAYLOR, ■ ■ ' • Missioner