Soup kitchens in the Depression
Lunch at the soup kitchen of the Salvation Army Men's Shelter, Buckle Street, Wellington, New Zealand 1931, Photographer unknown, courtesy of the Salvation Army Archives, Wellington, New Zealand.
Some poverty-stricken New Zealanders had to rely on charity to stock their cupboards during the Great Depression. The really desperate queued at soup kitchens or at factories for leftovers.
Tough economic times meant a more limited diet for most people - costly meat and beer were out. Some people grew vegetables in city allotments. Many children lived mostly on bread and jam or dripping (leftover animal fat).