Marshfield, December 1914: Helping Hand Society plays Santa
Group puts together Christmas meals for those in need
By Kris Leonhardt
Editor
The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) grew out of a crusade in the late 1800s to create a world of sobriety and purity while leading an evangelical Christian life. Its most notable cause was in working toward the prohibition of the manufacture and sale of alcohol.
Joining the movement, a group of Marshfield women began a local WCTU chapter and held meetings in the community schoolhouse.
When local saloon owners discovered the WCTU’s main agenda, they swiftly took action. As three of the school board members were saloon keepers themselves, the group was banned from holding further meetings in the school facilities. This did not deter the women, and they soon found new amenities in which to continue their work.
The Helping Hand Society grew out of the WCTU with a desire to aid the disadvantaged. Consisting completely of female volunteers, the group assisted local families in need by providing food and clothing.
The society’s efforts were quite important at the turn of the century, a time when hardy pioneers would sooner go to their graves than ask for government assistance.
With the holidays drawing near, the group had been busy conducting significant fundraising campaigns to provide for the Christmas season.
On Dec. 23, 1914, the women of WCTU packaged baskets for the Marshfield community. Using many donated items from business owners and private individuals, the group put together enough items to provide a hearty Christmas dinner for the less fortunate families of the area.
Once the goods were collected, organizers realized that the community’s needs had greatly increased over the past year, but enough contributions were provided to prepare one meal for each of the households named. The average value of each Christmas dinner basket was calculated at just $3 apiece.
In addition, members of the United Commercial Travelers and other local organizations contributed their own donated baskets to help fill the need.
On Christmas Eve day, the generosity of the Marshfield community was evident as Christmas dinner baskets prepared by the local organizations hit the doorsteps of every listed disadvantaged family in the area.
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