“A crisis, it is said, is
the means whereby the best of human nature is brought to the surface – wherein
virtues, hitherto unexpected, become apparent in the arisen need. In speaking, however, of
the service rendered to Hamilton, during the influenza epidemic by the
I.O.D.E., this truism is hardly applicable to that noble and efficient organization,
which, during the past four years, has become world-renowned for its self-sacrificing efforts for the
alleviation of the hardships of the men who represented Canada in the great
struggle. It was only to be expected that when such a dire need became
apparent, the association which had never failed to ‘come up to scratch’ would see
the need of immediate action and act upon it. This is exactly what the Imperial
Order of the Daughters of the Empire did, and in its effectual and tireless
efforts since its first action was taken by it for the helping of the sick, it
is doubtful whether there was ever shown by its members a purer spirit of
self-sacrifice and untiring energy in all the good work which they have
effected in the cause of humanity.
A HUMANE SERVICE
“With the First Methodist
church as headquarters, this band of workers has accomplished an incredible
amount of work in connection with the stricken families, to which they have
ministered unceasingly, and have earned the unceasing gratitude of thousands of
individuals, who otherwise would have had no means of providing themselves with
suitable nourishment, or even nourishment of any kind – during the stages of
their illness and convalescence.
NO HESITATION
“”Rising immediately to the
need, when the epidemic assumed serious proportions, Hamilton’s chapters,
without consideration of any expense and labor entailed, decided that there was
a need for organized help for the afflicted numbers, there being innumerable
cases where all members of families were stricken down and where absolutely no
help was forthcoming of any kind.
CALLED BY REGENT
“It was on October 21 that
the regent of Municipal chapter, Mrs. P.D. Crerar, having conferred with Dr.
Roberts, hurriedly called a meeting of the regents of the various chapters, and
on that Saturday, at noon, in the club rooms of the Y.W.C.A., those
representatives of the local I.O.D.E., who were able to attend, on the request
of Mrs. Crerar, pledged themselves to help in the fight for life.
“Mrs. Crerar announced that,
in the event of a diet kitchen being instituted, she had received an invitation
from the First Methodist church for the kitchen in the basement of the church
to be used as headquarters. Other offers had also been received, but it was at
once decided that, fitted up as it was with every convenience, this kitchen was
, for practicable purposes, the most acceptable offer.
WHO WOULD MANAGE IT
“Next came the question, who
would undertake the management of the diet kitchen?
“Mrs. Harry Burkholder,
regent of St. Cecilia chapter, and Mrs. Crerar’s ‘right hand man’ in all her
I.O.D.E. projects, unselfishly offered to undertake this ardupus task with the
support of the members of her own and of other chapters.
“ “I will,’ she said,’do
everything I can, and devote as much of my time as possible to the work – but I
must be supported.’
“Mrs. Burkholder’s
courageous acceptance of such a large task was, however, the means of helping
many others, and she found that even among the small representation at the
meeting a number of warm adherents sprang up – adherents who have devoted
attached themselves to her, all through the stress and strain of the past two
months. It should be added that Mrs. Burkholder went far beyond her original
promise. She not only devoted ‘as much time as possible,’ but she has actually
given every day and all day, to the work she undertook.
“Preliminaries were then
arranged and by the time the meeting dispersed, conveners had been appointed,
ways and means discussed, and the decision reached that ‘by hook or crook,’ the
kitchen should be in operation by Monday.
TO START BY MONDAY
“This was no mean ambition,
and it was thought by some to be impossiblebut, ‘greatly daring,’ the ladies
found that success attended their very first step on this new venture of mercy.
“That same afternoon, Mrs.
Burkholder and her conveners began plans for the operation of the diet kitchen,
‘marketed,’ and made arrangements for the delivery of future supplies to
headquarters.
“Monday morning, shortly
after 9 o’clock, saw, one after the other, these high-spirited women slip up
the sidewalk of the church and into that kitchen which was to be the scene ofsuch
great labors in the following weeks.
“By 9:30, the first jellies
were in the process of making, the first custards were being stirred, soup was
boiling in large receptacles on the stoves – and the work of the diet kitchen
had begun.
54 DIETS BY 12 O’CLOCK
“At 12 o’clock, ten baskets,
which meant diet for 54 persons, were on their way to the sick families, an
accomplishment of which the workers might well be proud, considering that they
went into the kitchen with everything unorganized, much to find, and much also
to ‘find out.’
“Even at this early stage,
there was no lack of offers of automobiles to convey the baskets to the houses.
On the very first day, many offers were forthcoming, and at once the contents
were prepared and packed, there was never the slightest trouble about getting
them to their destination.
QUICKLY SET TO WORK
“Thus did these women, under
the leadership of Mrs. Burkholder, settle down with incredible swiftness to the
routine of the kitchen. The system arranged was that any nurse or doctor attending a family which was in
need of being supplied with nourishment should telephone to the kitchen and
give the needs and address of these. Thereupon, the families mentioned would be
entered on a list which would be used as a guide by the kitchen workers in
putting up their provisions. Having passed through the hands of the ‘cooks,’
the foods would then be passed on to the packing committee, which was in charge
of Mrs. Crerar, put up in baskets and labelled. These would in turn be passed
to the transportation committee, and before many hours had passed, the patients
would be enjoying the delicacies.
DAINTY DIETS
“Every diet sent out was
sufficient to supply one patient for two meals, and each basket contained soup,
coca, flaxseed tea, custard, rolls and butter, these being alternated with
apple sauce, jelly, gruel, black currant tea, creamed tapioca and creamed rice.
According as the workers judged the need of the patient, so would they pack the
basket which he or she was to receive. It was the individuality, the nicety of
care which was bestowed on every diet which left the kitchen, which made them
so appetizing to the eye and to the taste of the patients. Custards, for
instance, to make them appeal more to the lackluster eye of some little one,
were daintly colored. Immediately, the character of the nourishment was
changed. It became something alluring, something which at all counts must be ‘tasted’
– and when once tasted, the little cups were rarely left unfinished.
LOVING INSPIRATION
“It was this loving
inspiration which characterized the work of the kitchen. These good women, not
content with doing enough, must needs do just a little more which means so much
more to the object of any enterprise. In this case, it meant that thousands of
people were cheered and heartened because when their baskets arrived with their
colored custards, their cool-looking jellies, rich tapiocas and crisp rolls,
they conveyed to the patient the fact that somewhere there were those who were
thinking of them – who were taking pains for their comfort, It probably has
struck few people in this light, but this very fact made all the difference
between misery and content.
“The most casual observers,
paying a visit to the kitchen anytime these last two months, could not fail to
have been struck with the amount of tireless energy. It will go down in the
history of the city as one of the outstanding achievements of the Imperial
Order of the Daughters of the Empire here, and to St. Cecelia chapter will go
the lion’s share of the credit. But apart from this, and above all, it has been
the true Christian spirit of good women. It is a fitting beginning of Hamilton’s
women for the preparation of a new era of brotherly and sisterly love. “1
1 “Work of Diet Kitchen During
‘Flu’ Epidemic : A Story of Its Operation by a Band of Devoted Ladies Who Sent
Cheer to Many Sufferers”
Hamilton Herald. December 21, 1918.
