Above: Click play to view the web exclusive report on food stamps

For the past couple of weeks, we've been working on a project called Getting By. It's a look at the local economy and how people are coping, given the market crash, the foreclosure mess, and the rising cost of rent, gas and food.

We've heard from you about how this is affecting your everyday lives.  More of you are simply not getting by; middle-class families are now showing up at food bank lines.

We also uncovered a story about food stamps: a federal program that provides money for food to working families and those on assistance.

San Diego County has the lowest food stamp participation rate in the country according to a national survey of 24 large urban areas. Only one in three who are eligible actually apply. And that means the county is losing more than $140 million in free food -- food that could go to the poorest of the poor.

The county is responsible for getting the word out about food stamps. They also administer the program. We asked them why so few people participated in a program that would give them more money for food.  Some people are intimidated by the process, others just don't know it's available.

The most surprising response we got from the county was that they didn't have enough money to administer the program. This is surprising because the federal and state governments paid the county $28 million last year, according to a county spokesperson. That just to administer the food stamp program -- to do the paperwork and outreach -- and get the word out to the community.

In the past seven years, a California Department of Social Services spokesperson says, the state has paid the county more than $75 million to administer the program. A county spokesperson says while that may be the case, the state has not increased the money it gives per caseload in seven years, and the cost of doing business has gone up.

Last month, producer Megan Burke and I were trying to figure out how we were going to tell the story of the local job market for this month's episode of our newly revamped public affairs show, Envision San Diego. We knew things were tough out there -- the unemployment rate is the highest it's been in more than a decade. The challenge really was to make all the statistics meaningful. We decided we would profile unemployed people -- it seemed like a no-brainer.

But finding unemployed people, (there are 100,000 of you in the county), is harder than it sounds. I put an ad on Craig's list, our web team sent out a message on Twitter, and Megan asked KPBS program director John Decker to air something you don't often hear on KPBS, radio announcements asking for your help. Decker agreed and for nearly a week we asked you to email us if you were unemployed and wanted to tell your story. You responded. You'll meet one of our listeners this Thursday, Sept. 25, at 8 p.m. on KPBS Television as she courageously describes her nearly year-long unemployment struggle. She was a casualty of the mortgage meltdown. The radio announcements worked; we found interview subjects, but it achieved something else. It gave you, our listeners and viewers another level of ownership in public broadcasting. You are reflected in our storytelling.

Our goal for the new Envision San Diego is to reflect our diverse community in the stories we tell. So often we the media, turn to the same experts, the same community organizations, the same politicians, to attempt to make sense of the news of the day. It is at times, unavoidable on daily and even hourly deadlines. We're lucky at Envision San Diego. We are given more time to find and tell stories in a different way. And so, here's where you come in again. We hope to include you on a regular basis. From time to time, you will hear us on the radio asking for your help. And now, you will even see us on this website asking you to tell us your story. I truly believe everyone has a story to tell. Here is your chance to get involved in the journalistic process and know that you are helping to shape the stories you'll see on KPBS Television. You'll still get the facts and analysis from the experts, but you'll also see how the statistics affect real people.

This month, we're asking you to tell us your story about how you are managing in these difficult economic times. Rent, gas and food are all more expensive this year than last, but wages are stagnant. How are you getting by? You can post your story here in the public comments or send an email to . So, join the conversation. We really do want to hear from you.

Meat has always been a primary staple of the human diet. But the American lifestyle of abundance and excess has lately given us a strange, schizophrenic relationship with meat. Either we eat way too much of it or we fall back on our puritanical roots and reject it altogether. No doubt... most Americans eat too much.

Do you like cookies?  What about pizza?  If you are like most Americans, your answer to both of those questions is probably a resounding "yes." Well, me too.  I love cookies and pizza -- they are two of my favorite foods.  Unfortunately, I shouldn't eat cookies or pizza that often, or in large quantities, because that would be unhealthy.

Why are cookies and pizza unhealthy?  Because those foods contain a lot of sugar and fat (duh!).  What I'm going to tell you next may not be a surprise either: the United States has an obesity problem.  According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in four Americans is obese and that doesn't include those who are considered overweight.

I like food. I always have and hopefully I always will. But recently, I've become more and more concerned with what's in the food we eat. From preservatives and pesticides to unhealthy fats and modified sugars. And I began to ask: "What's all this stuff doing to our bodies? And does it have to be this way?"

To answer these questions, the These Days team decided to devote a series of shows to the topic of the food we eat. We'll look at how our bodies work and what they need to be healthy, to why we crave certain foods. We'll discuss how to enjoy beef and seafood in an environmentally sustainable way, as well as explore the rising trend of vegetarianism.

We'd like to know what you think about food. What concerns do you have about the food you eat? Are you confused by all the information out there on nutrition and weight loss? Send us your questions or comments and we'll try to incorporate them into our coverage of "The Food We Eat."

- Natalie Walsh is the Senior Producer for These Days.