WINGS CANTEEN
GETS RATION
POINT GRANT

Clinton chapter, 255, Sustaining Wings of Iowa has been granted a monthly ration allotment to carry on its work of serving coffee, doughnuts and sandwiches to men and women in uniform passing through Clinton on transcontinental trains

The authorization was issued by the Quad-cities district office in Moline and gives the Clinton war price and rationing board permission to allot 2,500 points per month for meat, butter and canned milk and 150 pounds of sugar to the Sustaining Wings.

Food distributed in this manner is put to an essential use, the office ruled, as there is in the Clinton railroad depot a small restaurant, inadequate to serve the large number of soldiers and sailors who may desire to use it, and the nearest restaurant to the depot is at a distance which makes its use impracticable.

From 3,500 to 4,000 service men and women pass through Clinton on trains each day, and from 400 to 1,000 are served daily by the Sustaining Wings canteen.

The new shelter house provided by the Curtis club is in use on the depot platform and the service is fast and orderly. No food is given to any service man unless he comes to the shelter for it, thus preventing waste.

No charge is made and no civilians are served. Only transcontinental trains are serviced and troop trains are not met.

Clinton Herald, January 5, 1944

Wartime rationing makes the efforts of the Sustaining Wings even more amazing.

MORE TROOPS
TO BE SERVED
BY CANTEEN

Both East and Westbound
Trains Will Be Met
From Now On

Activities of Clinton's depot canteen for service men and women were expanded this week, when the Clinton chapter Sustaining Wings of Iowa, sponsors, began serving both east and westbound trains. Heretofore the canteen has served only eastbound Chicago and North Western railway trains. the new plan covers the period 8:15 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily.

April 13 was a red letter day for the canteen workers, with more than 3,100 servicemen furnished sandwiches, cookies and coffee. During March the total was 39,673 with ten trains serviced March 17 by the V.F.W. auxiliary.

Two additional chairmen have been added to the corps of volunteer workers, Mrs. Tena Sargent and Mrs. Russell A. Dudderer.

Many Donation Made

Many cash donations and pledges have been received from business firms, church, fraternal and patriotic organizations, as well as from individuals. The gifts have come not only from Clinton, but from the surrounding territory.
Women of the Sacred Heart, Clinton Church of Christ, First Baptist, First Congregational, First Methodist, Unit Ten and Clinton Boat club made sandwiches four times each during the last month. Clinton chapter 474, Women of the Moose, made and provided 1,300 sandwiches; Camanche Aidettes and June Van Meter post 190, furnished all the food the night each organization served at the canteen in March.

Donation of food also were received from the Knights of Columbus, Daughters of Isabella, Izaak Walton league, Clinton Company girls, Miss Celeste Schoener, Mrs. E. A. Gloe, Maurek's, Red Cross canteen, Mrs. George Hill, Mrs. Al Purcell, Mrs. George McLaughlin, Howard Sible grocery, Daughters of American Revolution, Mrs. Otto Johansen, V. F. W. post, Mrs. Joseph Benson, George Still grocery, Mrs. Carrie Ruedy, Mrs. W. H. Conover, Clinton Girl Scouts, St. John's Danish Lutheran church, Mrs. P. H. Jurgensen, the latter of Lowden.

Volunteer Workers

Each night at the canteen a group of men from various organizations assist carrying the coffee to the canteen from the kitchen and directing traffic. Chairmen for the month were: Sunday, V.F.W. post, William Bentley; second and fourth Mondays, I.O.O.F. lodge; Tuesday, War Dads, Albert Melow, E. E. Allison and Albert Larsen; Wednesday, War Dads, C. H. Warner, Mr. Larsen and R. A. Neeley; Thursday, American Legion, Bruce Fowler, chairman; and Saturday, War Dads, C. J. Johnson and son Richard, and Sam Stumbaugh, Sr.

Claude Esterly and Leslie Cook worked every noon, assisted during the month by C. A. Beamer, C. J. Robb and P. C. Andresen.

Representatives from the following organziation, with a Sustaining Wing as general chairman, served the past month: Irving, Roosevelt, Lincoln, Hawthorne, Longfellow, Central council and Sacred Heart P.T.A.'s, The Cort, Camanche Aidettes, Wa-Tan-Yeans, Sustaining Wings chapter, June Van Meter Post American Legion, Herbert Green Memorial Navy Mothers' Club, Women of the Moose, Gen. MacArthur Army Mothers' club, North Western Bell Telephone girls, V.F.W. auxiliary, Clinton Herald girls, wives of F. O. Eagle lodge members and Clinton Company girls.

Cash pledges for the month include Clinton B.P.O. Elks, V.F.W. post and Zion Lutheran Church.

In addition to all food donations the canteen purchased the following with which to serve the armed forces during March: 1,987 loaves bread, 505 lbs. meat, 76 dozen doughnuts, 97 fruit rolls, 175 lbs. butter, 318 lbs. sugar, 108 qts. chili sauce, 22 qts. pickles, 32,000 cups and 156 packages of wax paper.

Clinton Herald, April 15, 1944

637,466 SERVICE
MEN AND WOMEN
EAT AT CANTEEN

During the past year 637,466 service men and women passing through Clinton on Chicago and North Western railway trains were "fed" free at the Clinton depot canteen, according to the annual report submitted this week by Mrs. P. C. Andresen, president of the Clinton chapter of the Sustaining Wings of Iowa, sponsors of the project.

Maintainence of the canteen for the year was $11,497.06. In addition to cash donation and food from individuals, various church, social and fraternal organizations and business firms from Clinton and surrounding territory, assistance also was received from Fulton, East Clinton, Fenton, Chadwick, Garden Plain and Erie, Illinois, Camanche, Grand Mound, DeWitt, Low Moor, Maquoketa and McCausland (in Iowa).

Busiest day in 1944 at the canteen was June 15, when 22 trains were serviced. Up until April 17, only night trains were fed, and since that day, regardless of weather or lateness of trains, the volunteer workers and assistants meet all trains from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m.

An addition to the canteen, a first aid house, was opened Aug. 20, and during the first four months 94 of the armed forces received first aid. The telephone in the first aid house is a gift of a friend for the duration. More than 35 telegrams have been sent from the quarters. All supplies for the first aid house are furnished by the Milo John and Hill drug companies.

June Van Meter post 190, of the American Legion has donated 16,000 postcards and 10,000 books of matches for distribution, in addition to 50,000 postcards bearing the picture of the canteen, 25,000 furnished by the Wings chapter and the other 25,000 by the Chamber of Commerce.

The C. and N. W. employees' Dollar-a-Month club now boasts 200 members.

Among the outstanding donations of food during the year were 1,800 eggs last Easter from SS. Philip and Paul church, Grand Mound; 400 pies served Thanksgiving day; cakes and pies from DeMolay Boys and Rainbow Girls and cookies from Daughters of Isabella on Christmas day, and hot dogs donated by Bossen's, Eddie's markets which were served New Year's eve.

Last but not least, orchids to the Clinton Junior Chamber of Commerce, which recently launched a financial drive for the canteen fund, which is meeting with good success.

Clinton Herald, January 18, 1945