children are the poorest, which is why the children receiving help are almost
always the same.
In the winter of 1941, the C l o t h i n g S e c t i o n was also organised.
It encountered serious difficulties though. Clothes and underwear are so
expensive now that few people buy anything new and everybody wears out
their old clothes. After many difficult endeavours, the Section ceased its operation,
which was a complete fiasco. As for the winter aid provided to the refugees
and the poorest, I should mention the f u e l c a m p a i g n, which began
[16] in February during the worst cold weather. That month approximately
170 people received wood for fuel, which saved them from the freeze. Closed
for a longer period of time, the s o u p k i t c h e n was reopened. Meals were
cooked twice a day as before, but their number decreased to 600. That state
of affairs lasted until April, when the kitchen began to cook 300 meals, once
a day. That whole time, the Kaliszers constituted 70 per cent of its customers.
In May and June, the demand for labourers was the greatest and that was why
the Department of Labour took care of the labourers whose only income was
for the work rendered for the authorities. During that period, the soup kitchen
cooked twice a day and the number of meals increased to 750. The Department
of Social Welfare and Sanitary Supervision cooked the first cauldron, while
the Department of Labour cooked the other. The poorest and the refugees
unable to work ate from the first one, while the labourers and their families
ate from the other. Minimal fees for the meals were collected from January
until 22 June, when the kitchen was closed after the cauldron was damaged
during a bombing. Most of the meals, however, were [17] half [the cost] or
completely free of charge.
The b r e a d c a m p a i g n continued its vital activity. The Kaliszers constitute
a smaller percentage of its beneficiaries, as many native Kosowers now
joined. During the period from January until March, there were approximately
600 beneficiaries, who received 3–4 kilos of bread per family per
week. In April on the occasion of Easter, not only bread but also potatoes
were distributed. Of the 2,000 beneficiaries of that operation, 500 received
only potatoes. The Kaliszers constituted only 40–50 per cent of the beneficiaries
as many Kosowers received help, too. As soon as in the next month
only 300 people received bread, while in June the number increased to
500, to exceed 1,000 (?) in July. But the number of beneficiaries from
Kalisz increased only slightly, while in June and July the percentage of all
