Providing work for everyone was one main ambition of the Nationalsocialists when they came to power, another one supporting the ones in need.

In 1933 the Winterhilfswerk, short WHW, was created by the Nationalsozialistische Volkswohlfahrt (NSV). Numerous activities were held from selling raffle tickets, collections of any kind of goods of daily use to variety shows and dances. The goods and money were then given to the poor. It became a matter of course for citizens to take actively part in those collections or to make a donation when the rattling tin came around.

The donator would receive a little brooch, a figurine or a booklet praising Hitler as a token of good will. It would be pinned to the coat, showing off that one is part of the German unity in donating for the poor.

The little figures were usually handmade by small family businesses in rural areas, which had suffered severely in the twenties and now were only too happy to be back on the production line and hence reducing unemployment.

Another source of income for the WHW was the "Eintopfsonntag" (Eintopf=stew) being organised by the NSV every 1st Sunday of a month. The cost of a meal was to be not more than 50 Pfennig. It was supposed to be a cheap meal like "Erbsensuppe mit Speck" or "Graupensuppe". The money that was made went to the WHW.

On 1st Advent 1933 a newspaper wrote:

" The first Advent is a Eintopfsonntag. It is your duty to minimize your Sunday lunch so that your sacrifice will help to guarantee a meal for all in need each Sunday during this festive season."

Translation:
Your Eintopfessen on 1st Advent brings bread and warmth to million of people.

Advert from the "National Zeitung", Wednesday 13th January 1937


The author Erna Horn released an "Eintopf-Rezeptbuch", a cookery book containing just Eintopfessen recipies like this one:

Familien Eintopf für 4 Personen - 30 Pfennig pro Person
Family stew for 4 persons - 30 Pfennigs per person

750 grams smoked meat
750 grams harricot beans
2 cubes Maggi Familiensuppe
2 pounds of potatoes
finely chopped parsley
11/2 liters of water

The NSV went from household to household on this Sunday collecting the money the families had saved on not having a Sunday roast, but an Eintopf instead. In autumn and winter of the first year, 26.000 Reichsmark were collected. In 1934 it went up to 44.600 Reichsmark and a city like Essen was able to supply 264.000 people in need with potatoes and coal for the winter months.

The NSDAP had created another propaganda tool.

With the beginning of war the idea of the WHW collections changed from supplying the poor to collecting for the war effort. The collections were not done on a voluntary basis anymore, they became a duty. Every boy in the HJ, every girl in the BDM - even the biggest "Goldfasan" (slang for a high ranking party official) helped with the collections. Even favourite film stars made an appearance in the Wochenschau collecting money for the Winterhilfswerk.

A lot of companies deducted a "voluntary donation" from their employees wages and people who regulary donated 10 % of their income tax would receive a sticker by the WHW which would be placed on the front door to show off that they had done their duty and donated already.

In 1942 the Eintopfsonntag was renamed to "Opfer-Sonntag" - Sunday of sacrifice. So many had lost too much already and the donators became the ones in need themselves.