A relative of mine who is in her 80s now told me that during the Great Depression her dad used to take her down to the local fire station to get food, and that they were able to get food and used clothing and blankets, etc., at the fire station because they were poor. She remembers getting used World War One army blankets there too, which their family needed to keep warm. She said they were living in the attic of some other relatives’ house because her father was out of work.

I am curious about this: was this some kind of community service thing that local fire fighters did, like some of the food and clothing drives that firefighters do today? Or was this some kind of state or federal program? She said they didn’t need to fill out paperwork, they just went there and got things they needed sometimes. She said they were “on Relief” which I think was welfare in those days. Of course she was a child, and may not have been aware of what her parents needed to do to qualify for this. That is why I’m curious.

Any info about welfare (“relief”) programs during the Great Depression is appreciated.