Thanksgiving and Christmas at Ives Elementary School in the 1930's

The Great Depression in Detroit, Michigan, in the 1930's, brought sadness to schools for teachers lost their jobs and families fed other families, Thanksgiving and Christmas being the most tragic times. I always worried when our teachers in the 5th and 6th grade asked us all to remember to bring food for the Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets to be delivered to a poor family, whose name would be on a piece of folded paper handed to our teacher by our principal, Mr. Ellsworth. We'd watch as our teacher silently read the name of the poor family and wondered if she would look up and direct her gaze of pity toward one of us. I'd sit in utter silence as I prayed that our name wasn't on the list of families that were too poor to have a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

Our mother would send us back to school in the afternoon with a #2 can of whole tomatoes. I always wanted to bring a pie from a bakery, something elegant, rather than the can of tomatoes. Each room had a large bushel basket lined with lovely paper, and as the basket began to fill up with the groceries we had brought, we all began to feel very worthy and kindly toward one another. Finally the day came for the butcher in our neighborhood to bring the turkey wrapped in heavy wax paper and decorated with a large red and green ribbon. We tried not to examine anything in the basket too closely because our teacher had warned us not to be too familiar with the basket's glorious and abundant delicacies. I was glad that the #2 can of whole tomatoes was hidden from view on the very bottom of the bushel basket.

I was relieved when my father came home with our own turkey! I wondered why my mother never served tomatoes with our grand and elegant dinner. I wondered why she thought the poor family should have a #2 can of whole tomatoes for their Thanksgiving or Christmas Dinner. I would have liked to think they were having a pie from the bakery. And when we returned to school after the holidays, I waited for someone to mention the awfulness of the #2 can of whole tomatoes that was in their basket. Imagine!