OUR WINTER CAMPAIGN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20626, 26 July 1930, Page 4 (Supplement)

OUR WINTER CAMPAIGN.

Our Objective .. £7O 0 0 Total to Date .. 60 0 0 Still Wanted .. .. £lO 0 0

ErtOllltmilHlfiltlllHMllimilllMHllfllltlfltilSHlttltlwnstlia I \mis surprised, and not a little disappointed, to find there had boon a great falling off in our Winter Funds donations this week. I had hoped that tllo approaching closo of our campaign, and iny appeal for immediate subscriptions, would havo brought a good responso, but for some reason, the donations havo dropped suddenly from an avorago of £8 a week to £3. " That will make it hard for us to reach our objective, but I am still hoping that tho urgent need still existing among the sick and poor will move the hearts of our readers to furthor generosity.

I was able this week, through the efforts of the Brigade to send £5 to the mother of eight children, whose fathor started a little business of his own a fow months ago. Things havo not gone well with him, and, at tho timo of writing, tho mother lincJ not a penny with which to buy food. She herself * was feeling ill, but having no money to pay a doctor, was just trying to carry on without help. Of course, i wrote and told her about our splendid St. John nurses, who are always ready to give help in just such cases. In my mail this week was a little parcel from Elsie Brown and what do you think it contained ? A bag of tea for tho old man I told you about last vvoek, who loves a good cup, and is always given a little pot of lea to himself. A very kind thought, Elsie! Our best donation this week is from Mary, who sent her birthday gift of £2. Mary will bo interested to hear that ten minutes ago, when I started to write this article, the total for tho week amounted to only, £1 and I was feeling very disheartened, and wondering why there had not been more, when suddenly an envelope was pushed through my letter-box. I took it out, and thero was a donation of two pound notes! How glad I was at that moment that I would not have to put the donations down at £l, the smallest sum ever recorded for any week in our campaign! Many thanks, Mary, and I am 3uro yon will feel glad to know how greatly the sacrifice of your birthday gift has been appreciated. I would like you to read just one extract from Sister Esther's weekly letter: — " Last week tho weather was'fine and tho men were out "scouting" for jobs, "so wo had not quite bo many at the Manna House. On Monday we had 220, on 'luesdav 219. We seem to havo more women now. Ono little woman had come to Manna House for fivo consecutive days, and, although we asked her if she was all right in iier room, and she assured us sho was, we noticed each day sho ate her dinner as though she were very hungry, and sho is a tiny, littlo, thin woman. One day I asked her what she had .had for breakfast. When pressed, she confessed that tho mid-day meal at Manna House, was all tho food sho had in 24 hours--thai she had not had any other food for five days. The reason given us for not telling us was that sho thought wo had already enough to do. " I am only ono (sho said so sadly) and there are so many!" And yet there aro those who still say thero is no real poverty in Am kland !

Ntirso tells me she is still ordering firewood and coal for her poor old folk, and I hopo to be able to hand her another cheque next week I liavo the names and addresses of 12 holders of collection cards who have no? yet sent in their subscription!!. Will they kindly complete their cards at once, or send in whatever thev have collected ?

Now, doar boys and girls, I air, going to look forward to a much better response for the closing week of our campaign, for (hero arc still homeless and hungry men in this city needing food, still sick and suffering pooplo needing all the warmth and comfort that tho Herald Brigade can givo thorn. The week's donations are as follow : £ s. d. Mary's Birthday Gift . . . . 2 0 0 Collected by Geoffrey, Papatoe! oe 6 0 Aunts Emily and Mill . . . . 5 0 Gwen, Tom and Denis, Henderson 5 0 A Grown-up Reader . . . . 4 0 £3 0 0 Previously Acknowledged . . 67 0 0 Total to Date . . . . £6O 0 0