"How Others are Helping" pamphlet

How Others
Are Helping



g A Brief Account of how men, women
and children are coping with the Russian
Famine. |












How Others are
Helping.

HE winter of 1921-1922 has brought such a
2 wonderful response from friends throughout
Great Britain—and from the Colonies and
other lands overseas—that we give some brief
items showing how sympathy for distress in Europe
has expressed itself. These may inspire yet other
friends to ‘go and do likewise.”
(Please understand that we can select only a single
one of the many Committees, groups or individ-
uals who umdertake the same method of help.

We are equally grateful to every other unmen-
tioned one.)

Other Countries.

Hoe. ek. asked for a speaker from England for
a ten days’ tour throughout the country, paid all
expenses, provided an interpreter all the while, and
every possible kindness. Besides the usual collections
at the meetings (all of which were sent to England), a
“bread and butter” campaign was initiated, which
consisted of an appeal to every household to give the
cost of one loaf or one pound of butter, for Russia's
needs, during that week.

rg isa land full of domestic trouble and
tragedy, but it, too, is opening its heart and hand to
Russian sufferers. The workersin D...... , Within
six days, held two drawing-room meetings, three
Meeting House gatherings, and meetings in the Town
Hall, Rotary Club, Engineers’ Hall, and a Biscuit
Factory, followed closely by a Presbyterian Church
and Mansion House Meeting. ;
,

The Colonies we hope will issue a leaflet of
their own, telling in detail of their own schemes of
help for the old countries.

Town’s Committees and
Industrial Areas.

ce el and other London districts have

organised “Clothing Weeks.” printed, which was distributed from house to house,
appealing for clothing and money to be brought toa
central depot by the last day of the week. On that
day there was an exhibition of all gifts, a sale of
‘white elephants,” lantern slides shown by a speaker
from Russia, and a general tea and social.

a ee Committee has issued a special leaflet:
‘An appeal to the women of L...... to save 1,000
lives in Russia.’ ‘This appeal is being distributed to
all Church congregations, audiences at meetings, etc.,
and several meetings on behalf of Russian Famine.

Bea, , being an East-coast town, has a
scheme for sending direct to Russia a food-ship
containing goods produced by the workers in its own
area. (For further details of this enquire later).

My ee has erected a large hoarding outside
its Meeting House, which displays a succession of
posters giving quotations from speeches or items of
news concerning Europe’s needs; also a map of
Russia showing the extent of the famine area.
Another smaller board shows, under glass, photos of
actual conditions in famine areas ; and an iron collect-
ing-box attached nearby saves from five to ten lives
every week. The smaller Friends’ Meeting House 1s
itself used as a clothing and packing depot for the
country round about; and a number of bales are sent
up to the London warehouse weekly.

IN ee ae opened a Relief Fund in the columns
of its local paper, and this has been subscribed to for
months. Meetings have been arranged not only in
the town itself but throughout the neighbouring




4

country district, where the paper has been tread and
interest thus aroused. A Flag Day recently held was
as successful as the other efforts previously carried
out.

ae es Town’s Committee enlisted the help
of a band of clerical workers in one of the large firms,
who gave their time to addressing and distributing
hundreds of circulars appealing for funds. Meetings
have been held, a sewing group started, and the latest
effort is a collection at a football match taken by
about 20 helpers.

le Tete 23 , one worker has visited dozens of
cinemas, called on the managers, and persuaded many
of them to show the lantern slides borrowed from
Head Office. In other towns where this was done on
a smaller scale, collections were taken either inside or
outside the cinema as people were leaving.

CaaS, has worked for six months without
ceasing, one effort following another. Beginning with
a conference of twenty people representing the
churches and political bodies, from which a Mayor’s
Conunittee was formed, it then proceeded to produce
a Pageant, in which 12 schools took part; a “ publicity
eart’’ that was drawn through the streets on special
days ; large collecting boxes attached outside churches,
ete., and smaller ones for public houses, cafés, ete. ;
collections in cinemas, appeals for gifts in kind from
grocers, drapers aud chemists; public meeting with
Save the Children Fund, and lantern meeting organised
by the local Women’s International League; accounts
and appeal published in the press; a house-to-house
collection, jumble sale, concerts, collection of clothing,
etc. When the sum of £1,000 was reached a friend
offered to double any amount beyond that figure that
should still come in up to another £1,000.

Country Districts.

In B...... one lady arranged for four “ American
Teas” in the smaller towns of the neighbourhood,


5

which were visited in turn by a speaker from London,
all during the same afternoon. A very large suin was
raised, followed by the formation of a local Com-
mittee, the opening of a fund in the local paper, and
the organisation of larger public meetings.

ME Bik es , a speaker addressed four schools,
which then set about collecting money, clothes and
soap. A public meeting was immediately followed by
a thorough house-to-house collection, and a general
appeal for clothing, for which the Y.M.C.A. Hut was
lent as a depot.

We Peek , a sparsely populated valley in
Wales, almost every inhabitant attended the first
meeting and followed up an excellent money gift by a
collection of vegetables and farm produce which was
also converted into money for relief.

eee , a scattered district of sinall towns,
three processions from different parts met at the Town
Hall, where the Mayor received all the collecting-
boxes filled during the previous months, and gave a
prize for the best inscribed banner carried by its
maker. Bands played, and a large meeting with two
speakers from the famine area of Russia ended the
day—but not the work. :

We a a concert and sale were held in a
drawing-room, where only Russian music was given
aud Russian goods sold. Not only was the financial
result excellent, but the spirit and sympathy of the
gathering could not have been more helpful.

be ae and many other country towns have
held sales of work of their own making, and KE. ....
and many other places have given concerts with a
short speech in the interval which laid before the
audience the facts concerning EKurope’s distress.

SCHOOLS. The boys and girls of A.....
renounced their customary Annual Festivity and -
devoted themselves for months beforehand to a sale of




6

goods made by themselves and collected from the
villagers. Lantern slides were shown, and various
entertainments and side-shows brought in a very hand-
some contribution.

S. ... . undertook, not two months ago, to
raise ‘as much money as would save a life for every
boy in the school ”’ and the amount is already to hand,

te crate a collection of clothing and soap,
and the tiny children of B. . . . . are busy choosing
out gaily coloured pictures (carefully eliminating all
with food in them) for children in a land dark with
misery.

Aclassin H. . .. . School asked for ready cut
garments to make up in their own homes. When we
sent them in dozens, they asked for more—‘ in fifties,”
and pressed their grannies into the service as well.

Dozens of schools, too numerous to mention, write
for collecting-boxes, and return them heavy with
Saturday pennies. One Grammar School has a con-
tinuous flow of new schenies, the acting of plays, school
collections of all kinds, lantern lectures, a walking-race
through the city with an appeal to onlookers, a
voluntary service bureau whence the money earned by
tidying people’s gardens, mending their electric lights,
etc., 1s all to be sent to Russian Famine funds.

CHURCHES of almost every denomination
have offered their pulpits to speakers from the Russian
and Polish Famine areas. Special collections have
been taken, slides or a film shown, and appeals
inserted in the Parish magazines.

At Ch. .-. . . the minister resolved to take a
retiring collection after every service until not a penny
more was forthcoming.

M.M. .. .. Church made outa list of its members
who were called on regularly week by week for years,
for their very generous donations.
7
In R. ... . the Baptist Women’s Meeting had

a ‘soap drive” to which over two hundred pounds of
soap was brought in.

In W. . . .. and other places the sewing meeting
diverted its attention throughout the winter to making
clothing for the needy of other countries.

In H. .... a central committee was formed
representative of the Free Churches and the established
Church, and a joint sewing group of about fifty
members met weekly at each schoolroom in turn, with
truly wonderful results.

FIRMS.

Many firms have given good gifts of material of
all kinds, clothing, boots, food and seeds. Staffs of
workers have taken collections amongst themselves ;
and one manufactory of women’s clothing gave an entire
day’s work, with great zest, for the neediest of all
would-be customers—the women of Central and
Northern Europe.





‘‘From each according to his powers. .. .



INDIVIDUALS.

A stationer, hearing of the work that his customer
was engaged in, asked her to take what pencils, paper
and string she needed, and “there would be no
charge.”’

A busy working woman grew tomatoes through-
out one summer and with the proceeds saved at least
one human life.

A pedlar sells our post-cards of the Russian
Famine from door to door along with his own wares,
and puts by a substantial proportion of his own
income for those in greater need.

A school-girl gave up her prize, and a boy the
money he had won in a competition.


8

One friend has sold all the spare furniture in her
house; another sent the cost of what would have been
her next costume; others give all their accumulated
savings; and others send diamond rings, gold watches,
bracelets, cuff-links, pewter and silver dishes, fur
coats, etc., etc., to be sold for the Cause.

An old lady spends hours in piecing together
discarded scraps of cloth, turning out useful little
under-garments of all kinds. With these she encloses
real bouncy balls made from old stocking-ends—for
we want children in famine countries to playas
well as eat. ee ee
q YOU may have much or little to give. Remember

that nothing is too small—if you give it with
your heart. |

A great philosopher once said: “‘ Nothing is
great, nothing is small, in the Divine Kconomy.”’

Subscriptions may be earmarked “ Russian Relief,” and sent to the
Hon. Sec. (A. RUTH FRY):—
Tue FRrrenps’ RELIEF COMMMITTEE,
10, Ferrer Lanr, Lonpon, E.C. 4.

Bankers: Barclays Bank Ltd.

Manchester :— Scotland :—
Frank G. BrapBEER, GroRGE AITKEN, Secretary.
Secretary, 190, West GrorGE STREET,

12%, Mount Sr., MANCHESTER. GLASGOW.

or may be earmarked ‘“‘ Friends’ Relief,” and_sent to
aye Russtan Famine Rewrer Funp,
GENERAL BUILDINGS,
Aupwycu, Lonpon, W.C.2.

Gifts of clothing and correspondence connected therewith should
be sent to:—
Tur ManaGerk, THE WAREHOUSE,
FrienDs’ RELIEF COMMITTEE,
5, New Srreet Hix, Lonpon, K.C.4.

The name and address of the sender should appear both inside and
outside the packages.

‘ax Frienps’ ReLtrer ComMirTrE is co-operating with THE

Russran Famine Revier Funp and the Save THE CHILDREN

Funp in the “ All-British Appeal’ for relief of distress in
Russia.

5,000—May, 1922. : T. P..CO., T.

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