As a society we're really shooting ourselves in the foot by not making a consistently healthy diet our first and foremost concern. Taking care of one's physiological needs (food, water, sleep) is absolutely a necessity - without that people are hungry and therefore distracted, without energy, etc. How can we work together to do great things if we can't even get 1/12th of ourselves off the ground floor? (based on a conservative estimate of 25 million American families being food insecure out of a total population of 300 million)

It's silly. We need to refocus as a whole to take control of the problem. So many people don't have the role model or guidance that is needed to develop good habits. It's our responsibility to provide that to them through positive actions. It's easy to be snarky and pass the buck but the fact is that making a change is important, easy, and well within your personal reach.

Besides... don't do it for the people who need the help - do it for yourself. You pay taxes. Don't you want your society run effectively? We need a new New Deal to get people productive again. If our government isn't giving it to us I believe we can do it ourselves. The first step is meeting everyone's basic physiological needs.

www.feedpeopleproject.org

The article interviews a family of two teachers, who have three kids and a $500/month food bill. They've been cutting expenses significantly, but there's only so far they can go...

"There are things Christopher won't skimp on, such as bottled water"

(sigh)

It's funny that we resort to natural means when we are forced to do so. There is something about the current state of humanity that perpetuates waste and absent minds, as long as no one says anything and as long as we are not "directly" affected. Why didn't these families switch to these modes of conservation regardless of the rise in prices...that's, perhaps, something for a sociologist to study. A more important questions is why are these families being almost praised for doing something they should've and could've already been doing - for the sake of the environment and ultimately for the sake of all beings on this earth and in the universe. I think about the families I've met in Nairobi, Sierra Leone, Brazil and other places who survive with less than 1/3, on a good day, of what most Americans have. They are the ones to be praised. Conservation is their lifestyle, not because it is the best option, but because it is their only option. These examples can teach the world much...if the people of the world were only to humble themselves.