Windham County Observer

Pomfret Group Of "Bundles For America" Named

Mrs. Benson Rockwell, Mrs. J. B. Loftus, Miss Sperrle Named To Head "Salvage For Defense Unit Of National Organization.

With "Salvage for Defense" as its slogan, the recently named Pomfret committee of the "Bundles for America" organization is going ahead with plans for collecting articles for salvage. The committee in charge of the program includes Mrs. H. Benson Rockwell, Mrs. J. Bernard Loftus and Miss Gladys Sperrle.

Articles may be brought to the Red Cross rooms at the Pomfret School, or they will be collected by members of the committee.

The following was released by the Bundles for America committee in Pomfret:

"We are at war! The lack of sufficient clothing among needy people in this country is not new, but we will probably face in the months to come a condition which our population has not experienced in generations. A special effort must be made to provide for this situation.

"One very serious aspect of the problem is the growing difficulty which will be found in securing materials. Salvaging clothing is not a new idea to countless women in the United States. Many thrifty housewives have practiced the art of cutting down Daddy's worn trousers for Sonny, or making daughter's dresses from Mother's hand-me-downs, for generations. But Bundles for America feels that the potentialities in this line have not been touched. Thousands of pieces of old clothing and thousands of manufacturers pieces, mill-ends, samples, odd lots, etc., which have heretofore been wasted or which have been sold at little profit, can be converted into useful garments and bedding.

"The Government has inaugurated a splendid program of 'Salvage for Industry': scrap-metal, tin, rubber, paper, etc. But it would be a poor economy indeed that did not recognize the value of salvaging for the needs of the individual.

"A great salvage of time and morale can be effected by workers who cannot furnish their own materials, but who can design, cut, mend, darn, sew on buttons, do clerical work, etc. Ingenuity in making something out of nothing is a great asset. Use small samples for quilt patches. Small woolen bits will make hoods, caps, mittens and a multitude of things.

"The clothing made in 'Salvage for Defense Workrooms' will be distributed to needy families of men in the Armed Forces, and to dependents of men who may lose their lives in the service of our country. It will be used for deserving men, women and children who, through receiving such aid, may better contribute to the morale, defense and citizenship of the country."

The organization is described as follows in the New York Times:

While the United States was still a "neutral," friendly to the Allies, one of the most popular and hard-working organizations in this country was Bundles for Britain. It enabled many Americans to express their feelings in genuine helpfulness, and aside from the real service performed for the British people it did wonders for their morale. When we entered the war Bundles for Britain organized Bundles for Bluejackets. Now this has given place to an independent and separate national organization to be known as Bundles for America.

The plan has been approved by the President's Committee on War Relief Agencies in Washington. The new organization will at once establish branches throughout the country on a basis which will not encroach on the work of other war relief agencies. The purpose of Bundles for America is to supply our armed forces everywhere with knitted garments and comfort kits which they could not otherwise obtain, and to perform this service with the touch of personal friendship. It should offer an opportunity to women in every community to help the men who are fighting our battles.