Sewickley Herald

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The Sewickley Valley's Home-News Weekly
Vol. 34. No. 13.
SEWICKLEY, PA., THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 1940
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The busy work-room of the former Red Cross House, Sewickley, during the World War
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In aid of refugees, prisoners and interned civilians in Europe, whose need
is acute, Red Cross sewing and knitting is being done each week by the
women of eight of the Sewickley
Valley churches whoso hearts are
touched by the realization of the sad
conditions now existing in Poland, Finland and elsewhere. But more workers
are needed—badly needed, if Sewickley is to compare with the generosity
of its response in the World War.
To remind people of the need, the Hegner Hardware Company has arranged
this week an interesting Rod Cross window display well worth looking at. Dolls
in tho different costumes adopted for
the various forms of Red Cross work
stand before a background in which
appear somo of tho things being made
in Sewiekley for European sufferers—
rough cloth dresses, children's dresses,
flannelette convalescent gowns, knit
sweaters and caps, etc, attractively
arranged.
Tho dolls themselves are a reminder
of tho many forms of Red Cross work,
A nurse iu white uniform; a "Gray
Lady;" a Health Aid .hi dark rod;
social service iu blue, production unit,
white with ibluo trimmings} Administration,  white   with   red   trim;   motor
corps, gray uniform; life saving, in
blue bathing suit; Staff assistant in
buff, Braille worker in blue, Junior
member in rod— each with the Red
Cross on forehead cloth, each neat and
pretty as Red Cross workers always
seem to be. It makes a fine display,
and ono causing thought and a desire
to help.
The local work, which reports to the
Pittsburgh Red Cross, is guided by an
executive committee of which David
M. Gilmore is president, Mrs. R. M,
Keeney, vice president, Mrs. Robert N.
Standish, secretary, and Albert Craig,
treasurer. Any of these -would gladly
tell any volunteer how and where to
help the work.
A report issued, by Ernest j. Swift
A'ice Chairman of the American Ret.
Cross, who has recently returned to
Washington after a three months' survey of relief needs in Europe, during
which time he visited all belligerent
nations except Russia, indicates that
the needs for relief from the outside
world are daily growing more acute.
"Europe's gravest relief problems
today center around the mass movement
of populations nnd the confusion resulting   from   the   disorganization   of
national life," says Mr. Swift. "From
Helsinki comes word from Red Cross
representative Wayne Chatfield Taylor
that hundreds of thousands of Finnish
women, children and aged men, fleeing
west from the danger zones, need immediate medical caro and clothing. The
problem confronting the Polish people
is equally desperate. Approximately
150,000 non-combatants ond refugee
soldiers have fled to the neighboring
countries of Hungary, Roumanin, Lithuania, Jugoslavia and Latvia. Within
German-occupied Poland, American Red
Cross representatives havo found a scattered population, gradually attempting
to resume a normal mode of life. Health
problems have arisen and a desperate
need for clothing is reported.
"American Red Cross supplies for
Poland are being shipped via Trieste,
Italy, and the principal distribution
point will be Cracow. Relief supplies
for Finland are being shipped to Sweden and thence into Finland.
"In France and England, because of
the extraordinary character of the conflict, the need arises principally because
of the movement of population, In
tlie central part of France alone there
arc today over 375,000 evacuees from
Alsace   and   Lorraine,   many  of   them
living in unsanitary and distressing circumstances. In England the problem
of those removed from large centers
is not so acute but clothing of all
kinds and also medical supplies and
hospital equipment are in demand.
"Supplies and not money find the
greatest use in Europe today as it is
almost impossible to buy from neutral
countries because of restrictive regulations placed on the articles most
needed."
The Pittsburgh Chapter, American
Red Cross is doing its part to relieve
this distress in Europe. Seventy-five
auxiliaries have been organized in the
churches and clubs and other groups
and are now producing women's and
.'hildren's dresses, boys' suits, sweaters,
socks and knittecd caps, layettes and
some hospital garments. The materials
for these articles are furnished without
charge to the auxiliaries by the Chapter
from its own funds. Delivery of the
materials to the auxiliaries and the
collection of the finished product arc
handled entirely by tho Red Cross
Motor Corps. Already IS cases of relief supplies have been shipped from
Pittsburgh to the American Red Cross
warehouse in New York for transshipment to Europe.
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