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Children of the WPA Toy Projects
The WPA's Toy and Renovation Project operated in the New Orleans, where it manufactured and renovated toys, clothing, furniture and the like for free distribution to the needy through its sponsor, the Orleans Department of Public Welfare. The project was headquartered at 2256 N. Claiborne, where, at Christmas, workers repaired donated toys to be given to children of low income families.
Click on the thumbnail image to see a larger version of the
photograph. |
| These children were recipients of WPA renovated toys, 1939. | ||||
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Children who donated toys to the WPA Christmas Center, November, 1939. |
The WPA also operated a Toy Lending
Library which allowed children to "check out" toys for a specified period of
time, just as they would check out a library book. The toy library for white
children opened at 1119 Burgundy in August, 1938. The toy library for
African American children, shown here, was housed in the Berean
Community Center. A 1941 WPA report noted, "The children take such
good care of the toys that only 2.8% are lost or come back in such condition
that they cannot be repaired." |
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Introduction || Commodity Distribution || Education || Libraries Nursing Project || Recreation: General || Summer Showers || Toy Projects |