
Thanksgiving Day, 1931. Buffalo citizens -- black and white, adult and children
-- line up for food on both sides of the entrance to
the Volunteers of America at 77 Broadway. That organization, still in existence
in 2003 (their web), says, "The Great
Depression of
the 1930s stretched the nation's private social welfare system almost to the
breaking point. Volunteers of America mobilized to
assist the millions of people who were unemployed, hungry and homeless. Relief
efforts included employment bureaus, wood yards,
soup kitchens, and "Penny Pantries" where every food item cost one
cent."
77 Broadway is now occupied by the Department
of Motor Vehicles office.