19391 HISTORY OF HALIFAX COUNTY 11939
HOME DEMOHSTRATIOM CLUBS
1939_HALIFAX COUNTY HOME DEMONSTRATION CLUBS SECTIONF
COUNTY COUNCIL MEETING
A County Council meeting of the Home Demonstration Clubs of Halifax County, banquet style
under the Better Homes Program. The meeting was held in the Club House dining room at Halifax.
SCHOOL CANNING DAYS
IN HALIFAX COUNTY
By Blanche Hardee
Hardrawee Club President
In many communities over the
county, during the summer months,
are held what we club women call
“School Canning Days”. Here the
women of their respective Home
Demonstration Clubs meet bring
ing just loads of fresh vegetables,
such as are required for soup mix
ture or perhaps it may be apples
for making apple sauce for use in
school in winter, or in some in
stances, snapbeans or peas. These
products are graded and put up
according to the standard for pro
per cannnig, using the bulletin fur
nished free by the Agricultural Ex
tension Service of State College,
Raleigh.
mis most splendid service ot
canning for hot school luftch for
most every school in Halifax Coun
ty was started on a county-wide
basis in 1926 by Mrs. Hazel E.
Wheeler, in order to insure a hot
dish for every child and not those
only able to pay for his serving
each day, as had been the custom
in the one or two communities hav
ing had this project heretofore.
Women like to get together for
social purposes, where they may
indulge in bits of gossip or talk
over their problems. We have found
our women in the Hairdrawee com
munity most helpfu] and hospitable
on canning days, /hey open their
homes to the club members who
meet there to can, often serving a
real picnic dinner or other delight
ful refreshments. Many of us have
enjoyed these days in the homes of
the following members of Hardraw
ee Club: Mrs. Tom Sexton, Mrs. S.
A. Whitley, Mrs. B. A. Whitley, Mrs.
Joseph Lewis, Mrs. B. O. Bobbitt,
Mrs. J. R. Locke, Mrs. N. Bras
well, Mrs. S. L. Bennette, Mrs. S.
E. Hardee and others.
During the years that have pass
ed since this work of canning for
hot school lunch was inaugurated,
many hundred cans of soup mix
ture and other choice vegetables
have been canned and used. As a
result, we doubtless have a healthi
er and happier childhood all about
us. Such days as above described
are frequent summer scenes with
the various Home Demonstration
Clubs—all using about the same
method of procedure, except that
some conduct their cannings at the
school buildings. Long may these
canning days survive!
FOODS & NUTRITION
!\lrs. E. W. Dickens, Jr.
County Foods and Nutrition Leader
The foods and nutrition work in
Halifax County had made very lit
tle progress when Mrs. Hazel E.
Wheeler began her work as Home
Demonstration Agent in this coun
ty. Planning meals, ftiree times a
day three hundred and sixty-five
days to a year, that were pleasing
ly varied and properly balanced was
truly not an easy task for the rural
housewife. Mrs. Wheeler worked
enthusiastically with the farm wo
man’s clubs to develop new, better
and more appetizing methods of
preparing and serving foods that
would make a balanced diet.
Many things which had been a
puzzle to the housewife and which
had been considered too difficult
and only to be undertaken by ex
perts were explained step by step
and illustrated so plainly that plan
ning a properly balanced diet was
found not only simple to work out
but very enjoyable results were
produced. To hold the interest in
this work a variety of contests and
expert demonstrations were held,
at frequent intervals.
Going a step further, and not
content that p balanced diet at
home be sufficient to attain the
proper growth and development of
the child, special work in “Bal
anced School Lunches” was given.
Realizing the effect of overweight
and underweight in retarding the
progress of the child school can
nings were held during the sum
mer months, by the individual
clubs assisted by Mrs. Wheeler. The
women met on an appointed day
with a surplus of corn, beans, to
matoes, okra and carrots to be
made into soup mixture, canned
and stored for winter use. The fol
lowing winter a bowl of hot soup
supplemented the school child’s
lunch. The children were weighed
each month and the weight record
of each child showed much prog
ress. Today each child has the ad
vantage of a hot dish to supplement
his cold lunch. The foods and nu
trition leaders throughout the
county assist with this project.
The diet and its relation to the
mental and physical efficiency has
played an important part in the
time that has been given to the
foods and nutrition study. Take
penagra, ior example, a disease
that usually follows the prolonged
use of an unsatisfactory diet. Much
work has been done through the
cooperation of the Health Depart
ment and Home Demonstration A
gent to prevent this disease. The
homes of those suffering from ple
lagra were visited and a diet pre
scribed that would lead to the e
radication of the disease and also
recommended a diet that would
prevent the occurrence of it.
A few of the many lessons given
that would lead to better health
through diet were, “Building Body
Resistance to Disease”, “Foods That
Build Red Blood”, “Blood Pressure
and Diet”, “Diet and Its Relation
to a Healthy Mouth”, and "Feed
ing in Children’s Diseases”,
When we think of entertaining
whether at home or for a commu
nity activity the first problem that
usually confronts us is what shall
I serve. This has been so skillfully
worked out in our foods study that
each rural club woman experiences
a thrill of genuine pleasure and
satisfaction in knowing how to
serve foods daintily and appropri
ately.
The first banquet undertaken by
the club women was given in 1929,
in the masonic building in Enfield.
This was a most delightful four
course banquet, honoring our hus
bands and friends. Mrs. N. L. Sted
man, president of the council, made
a most gracious toast mistress. B.
F. Brown of State College was
speaker for the occasion.
Again in February, 1930 the wo
men of Halifax County Federation
observed “Live at Home” week as
designated by Governor Gardner.
They gave a “Live at Home” ban
quet using only foods grown in tha
county on the menu. Mrs. Jane S.
McKimmon and James Gray were
speakers. Those enjoying the hos
pitality of the club women were
their husbands, the county officials
and their wives and the teachers as
invited guests. This banquet was
served in the Coca Cola plant by
the Halifax Jr. club girls.
A lovely dinner in honor of Mrs.
N. L. Stedman was given Decem
ber 1934, by the members of the
county council in the county club
house. Mrs. Stedman, who had
been president of the Federation
since its organization was leaving
to make her home in Florida.
At the close of each year’s work
the foods and nutrition leaders ar
range and serve the “Achievement
Day Dinner’’ to the county and lo
cal club officers, the major project
leaders and invited guests.
The foods and nutrition work this
year is centered around the enter
tainment at the county council
luncheon hour. The luncheon is so
arranged and served that it is a
demonstration that can be used by
the individual clubs. The luncheon
for the first council meeting was
sej-ved buffet style from the tables
in the dining room, of the county
club house. The valentine idea pre
vailed throughout the entire lunch
eon. Nandina berries and silver
foliage were used on the main serv
ing table where white candles burn
ed in red glass holders.
The luncheon of the spring coun
cil meeting was served banquet
style. The club color scheme of
green and gold was carried out in
the food and decoration. Mrs. R. L.
Applewhite, president of the coun
cil, served as Toast Mistress for
the "Better Homes” dinner pro
gram which was as follows: “Homo
and Child Attitudes,” Mrs. R. C.
Josey, Jr.; “Books in the Home”,
Mrs. S. B. Pierce; "Music in the
Home”, Mrs. Heath Lee; “Nature’s
Gift to North Carolina”, Mrs. C.
E. Matthews; “Home of Charm”,
Mrs. F. W. M. White; Toast
“Home”, Mrs. Quentin Gregory.
At the present time a “Halifax
County Home Demonstration Cook
Book” is most ready for the press.
Mrs. Wheeler asked the club wo
men to contribute their favorite
tried and true’ recipes for use in
this book. After these were re
ceived they were typed, grouped
ind distributed among the clubs,
each club receiving a chapter to
classify. These will be for sale by
each club; members who contribut
ed a number of recipes will receive
a book free. The women have
been very interested in this book
and are anxious for it to be com
pleted. This publication is prob
ably our biggest Foods Project for
1938. Articles from some of our
foods leaders are published else
where in this issue.