Now, more than ever, food banks need support

The cost of living seems to be the one thing that is able to consistently ignore the law of gravity, and at no time has this been more apparent than now.

With gasoline rapidly approaching $4 a gallon and food prices expanding almost as fast, the simple costs of everyday living are slowly approaching the point of being intolerable.

But for many people, this point has already been reached, and they need help. These folks aren't some Malthusian tide rising to overwhelm the shores of civilized society, though. More often than not, they're ordinarily, working families who have fallen on some hard times, never imagining the day when they would need to avail themselves of charity - until that day finally arrives. When it does, one can be reasonably sure that they are grateful that programs such as food banks and soup kitchens exist for them.

We understand that in an age of rising prices, everyone is feeling the squeeze, and so, naturally, we're not as inclined to help out as maybe we once were. At the same time, it should be understood that compared to other places in the world currently suffering from this economic meltdown, things aren't so bad.

In Haiti, full-scale food riots have broken out, with some people actually eating clay and mud just to ease the pain. Meanwhile, bread in Zimbabwe has reached about 80 U.S. dollars a loaf, which translates into literally millions of their own currency.

In the wake of these and other events like it, having to switch to store brands and walk a little more doesn't seem so dire. Neither does, say, spending about $5 on some canned food for your local food bank or soup kitchen. After all, it is precisely when times are tough that our hearts should be the most open.