How a US President Used Sheep to Help the Red Cross (and Save Money)

During times of crisis, even mowing the lawn is an extra expense… even when it comes to the White House.

In the middle of World War I, the American president Woodrow Wilson and his wife Edith had an out-of-the-box idea to help the State save for the war effort.

The First Lady and her husband were the first to set an example for Americans: In times of war, you have to save. According to those at the White House, food rationing was a practice strictly followed in the Wilsons’ routine: the President and his wife had “wheat-free Mondays” and “meat-free Tuesdays”.

There were also days when they rode in carriages instead of automobiles to save fuel.

They decided to cut expenses even on the maintenance of the White House. The couple thus had the idea of acquiring sheep that ate the grass around the president’s official residence.

These animals, recorded in images of the time, not only served as overalls improvised but they were also useful to the Red Cross itself: the sheep’s wool was used for sale. The money went to the Red Cross, which cared for soldiers injured in combat.

Later, the Woodrow Wilson Organization, the herd was sheared, and two pounds of wool were offered to each North American state.

After the war ended, the sheep continued to produce wool and were taken to a farm. But Woodrow Wilson’s original decision went down in history as an example of the war effort.