University of Virginia Library

Kitchen Fats

In addition to other items, the householder was asked to save
kitchen fats. Loss of the Philippines, the main source of vegetable
fats for the United States before the war, had caused a shortage of this
essential component of munitions. It was announced that two pounds
of cooking grease would provide enough glycerine to make five

pounds of antiaircraft ammunition. The national program for
salvaging fats started about July 6, 1942, and quotas were set for
all states and communities. Virginia's quota was set at 181,500
pounds per month. In August the Charlottesville Salvage Committee
set 68,000 pounds as a goal for the year, based on an estimate
of 17,000 people contributing about four pounds of grease per
capita, the amount requested by national salvage authorities.[34]

Cooks were urged to collect waste fats in pound lots and to sell
them at three cents per pound to meat dealers. The butchers would
then turn them over to processors for the government's use. All
but one of the Charlottesville meat merchants agreed to buy fats.
Promotional work in connection with the salvaging of kitchen fats
in Charlottesville was a responsibility of I. H. Poss of the local
branch of Swift and Company, who distributed posters and information
to meat dealers.[35]

The first month's collection of fats netted only 835 pounds, the
month of August 863 pounds, and September the meager amount of
700 pounds, when a community the size of Charlottesville should
have raised almost 6,000 pounds a month according to its quota.
Women of the church auxiliaries joined in the effort to convince the
public of the need of cooperating in this phase of the salvage program;
Home Demonstration Club members worked similarly in the
rural districts. Mrs. Fred L. Watson, fats collection chairman in
Charlottesville, urged that housewives adopt Walt Disney's slogan:
“Out of the Frying Pan Into the Firing Line.”[36]

By January, 1943, the collection of fats hit a new high of 1,350
pounds in Charlottesville, an increase of 250 pounds over the December
total. During the entire year of 1943 Home Demonstration
Clubs in the county collected 411 pounds. In December a special
impetus to save fats was given under the new Points-For-Fats Program.
In addition to the four cents per pound then being paid,
housewives were given two red food ration points for every pound
of kitchen fats they delivered to their butchers.[37]

Mrs. W. E. Hughes of Charlottesville became fats collection chairman
in February, 1944. In that month 1,200 pounds of fats were
collected. A drive in March sent Girl Scouts, Camp Fire Girls, and
members of the Parent-Teacher Association on a house-to-house
canvass asking for whatever amount of waste fats was then available
in each kitchen. As Virginia lagged far behind in meeting its
quota, this method was continued every month. April brought in
1,500 pounds of fat for Charlottesville. Home Demonstration and
4-H Club members collected 4,240 pounds of fat in the rural districts
in 1944 and 11,841 pounds in 1945, when salvaging of fats continued
along with paper and tin even after V-J Day.[38]