School Adoption: Kaiti’s Gifts To London Children

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22808, 1 December 1948, Page 6

School Adoption: Kaiti’s Gifts To London Children

Pupils of the Kaiti Primary School have a new interest, linking them with the children of the Peterborough Infant School in London through periodical dispatches of food parcels as a gesture of friendship and sympathy with the straitened food situation of their families.

Two dispatches have been made to date, and already a number of acknowledgments of the gifts have. been read with keen satisfaction by Kaiti scholars. The Kaiti scheme has not. been long in operation, but the contributions of parents and pupils have made it possible to make two dispatches. The initial shipment, valued at £B, went on August 20 last, and its main items comprised 75 lb of honey and a quantity of condensed milk. ’ With more time to get the next shipment ready, and with the proceeds of a soap drive in hand, it was possible to get together goods valued at £l7 17s 2d., cakes of soap and eight bars. In addition to the soap, the dispatch included 6G tins of cheese, 34 tins of full-cream milk powder, 30 lb of dripping and sundry items, many of which were purchased with the proceeds of a penny-a-wcek collection. sponsored by the children of the Kaiti School. Selections of the Peterborough Infant School—one of the London County Council institutions—as the target tor Kaiti gift dispatches was made for the reason that a former Gisborne lady teacher. Miss Jean Russell, is a member of the staff there. “All Very Grateful” In a letter acknowledging the offer of the Kaiti School to send food parcels the principal at Peterborough wrote the following letter:We are all very grateful indeed to the Kaiti School for the offer to •adopt” us and send us parcels. We feel that a fairy tale has materialised, and that we now have a fairy godmother. The children of the Peterborough School are not poor; in fact, that are of good appearance, but in many cases this is due to a strong feeling of selfrespect rather than to wealth or even a sufficiency of worldly goods, and all of them welcome a gift of a food parcel which will give them a little variety of diet, or enable them to enjoy a Tittle more at meal times. Your list of goods which may be sent is really comprehensive. Cheese and tinned meats would be much valued as they are very scarce here, so are dried fruits. Dried milk would be appreciated during the winter months, as our milk supply is much reduced. ... , “Honey is a luxury gut, and we are looking forward to the sight of 751 b. with much pleasure.” The senders at the Kaiti School have received acknowledgment of the arrival and distribution of the initial shipment, and several of the letters forwarded by Miss Russell bear testimony to the heartfelt thanks with which the distribution was welcomed in the Peterborough pupils’ homes. The second dispatch should reach the school in good time to add a little to the brightness of Christmas for the recipients.