The first distribution of clothing, milk, vitamins, medicines,  
and other supplies donated by the American people through American  
Relief for Italy, and arriving in December and January, were  
destined for the six provinces of central Italy most damaged by  
the war- Pescara, Chieti, Aquila, Campobasso, Littoria, Frosinone,   
comprising the area of the battle zones of Cassino and the  
Anzio beachhead, and on the Adriatic coast. Within 20 days of  
the unloading of the ships the clothing had been distributed from  
the central warehouses in Naples, Rome and Leghorn, and had reached  
the provincial warehouses. From here the bales of American clothing   
were distributed to the 215 communes and in the communes to  
the individual families. In the provinces and communes the provincial   
and cofmmunal committees of The National Committee for Distribution   
of Relief in Italy (ENDSI), representing the Government,  
the Catholic Church, the Italian Red Cross, and the Italian Confederation   
of Labor, supervised the distribution. Within a month  
after the arrival of the ships from America garments were being  
put into the hands of needy individuals. Difficulties of transportation   
over roads in many instances destroyed or snow-covered  
were overcome by the providing of transport by the Allied Armies  
and the Allied Commission.
 
     
 
 
In the six most devastated provinces clothing was given out   
on a basis of four garments and a pair of shoes to 128,030 men.  
133,154 women, 72,352 boys, 72,668 girls and 85,422 infants, a  
total of 491,626 people, or more than one-fifth of the total population.   
These free supplies were distributed without regard to  
race, nationality, religion or political belief.
 
     
 
 
After the first distribution was well under way further plans  
were arranged and clothing was sent to Foggin, which suffered extensively   
under aerial bombardment, and to the communes in Naples  
and Rome province, as well as to the hardest hit people in the city