Food Stations

Food shelters, food shelfs, food stamps: minimal infrastructure, huge operating costs. Sort of defeats their purpose.

People need help during recessions, the very time charity operating funds and taxes are weak. And eventually the fed is going to have problems taking out loans.

If we were on the edge of an economic downturn (maybe even if we weren't) it would make more sense to invest in infrastructure now and reduce future operating costs. That way if the bottom falls out, we can still operate our charity food systems.

Again: invest now, reduce future operating costs.

I see public Food Stations every few city blocks in every metropolitan area in the US, and approximately one per thousand people in suburban areas. A huge capital investment to reduce future operating costs.

How: algae such as spirulina platensis. Each Food Station is a 20' square facility with room for other charity (showers, internet, potable water) on the lobby level. The algae grow in a photobioreactor that towers over the facility, and can be made up to five stories tall depending on need.

People enter the facility and receive about a week's worth of food, as a about a cup of semi-dry green powder. They have to provide their own containers.

A computer monitors algae levels and stops service if they go low. Some measures to prevent taking too much food, or wasting food, such as time delays. Possibly PH and other chemical checks.

Minimal Operating costs: 1. Electricity for Pumps. 2. Fill-in Water. 3. Maintenance staff. Existing city workers? / minimal. 4. Fertilizer. But should be minimal. 5. Biologist. Maybe one per thousand stations. To research and fix problems.

Goal: a network of Food Stations that runs cheap and can cheaply be scaled up or down on need.

End result: no hunger in America; improved quality of living (due to lower food costs in general and ability to eat for free). WalMart for food.