In late November 1922, there was a meeting of Litchfield’s Business Men’s Association where a talk was given by Charles Maxson, the superintendent of the Litchfield schools. In his presentation titled “A Better Litchfield,” Maxson shared his concerns for the families in need. He urged the people of Litchfield to join together to “relieve suffering, hunger and cold, among the unfortunately situated.” A few days later, a group of like-minded people met at Maxson’s home, and the Litchfield Good Cheer Club was formed.
The Club’s sole purpose was to help those in need. Everyone was invited to join, and while it wasn’t connected with any specific church, the club prided itself on having members from all of the local congregations. The club also worked to cooperate with the Litchfield village council. Often people in need would appeal to the council. Because the Good Cheer Club was independent, they had the flexibility to provide aid in cases that fell outside of the village’s official duties.
Although membership was stressed in the formation of the club, a look through the newspapers of the time failed to provide more details. If the club had regular meetings or dues paid, their actions didn’t make any major headlines. Instead, a small notice seeking “donations of provisions” would appear in December with a date and location for the donations.
Besides individuals and businesses, many other groups contributed to the clubs efforts – service clubs, relief groups, churches, scouts, auxiliaries, and guilds, just to name a few.
The main focus of the club was to help around Christmastime, providing baskets to the people in need. The baskets included food and clothing and sometimes toys. The museum’s photo of the club shows some of the members surrounded by items that would go to forty individuals and families. Young John and Paul Lund are seen at the front of the photo, having donated some of their toys.
The club would sometimes offer a hand at other times, such as after a tornado devastated Kingston Township in 1929. Esther Johnson was club secretary and president for many years. Her daughter Karna Agren remembered their basement was often full of clothing, mattresses, and the like. If someone was in need, her mother would drop everything to do what she could to help.
The club operated from 1922 until 1957, although there were a few years during the Depression that the group put their efforts on pause, due to relief being more widely available through other means. Towards the end, the membership was aging, and the energy needed to continue their work was fading.
While it is safe to say that hundreds of people were impacted by the generosity of the Good Cheer Club, it is also impossible to know the full impact the club had on all of the lives it touched. One thing is for sure, what started out as a single idea sparked and ignited into over three decades of light being shared around Litchfield and Meeker County.