What Can You Spare?

This poster is a wonderful reminder that while the U.S. Government entered WWII later into the conflict, private Americans were very involved in philanthropic efforts from its start. Created in 1940, this poster promotes a privately organized clothing drive for clothing to send to refugees that were displaced by Hitler's army. The United National Clothing Collection for Overseas War Relief was lead by Henry J. Kaiser, an extremely successful businessman whose name would have been as recognizable to Americans as Henry Ford or Andrew Carnegie. Henry Kaiser (1882-1967) was an industrialist from humble immigrant origins. Self-made, he created a wide reaching career of companies in the construction and healthcare industries. He was an early advocate for aid to those suffering from German aggression in Europe. He would go on to further support the Allies with his Kaiser Shipyard in California. It adapted groundbreaking techniques in battleship production. His efforts to provide affordab