Too Many Cooks In The Kitchen?
BLITZER: People showing up for a free meal at a homeless help center here in the nation's capitol. Got quite a surprise today. Some had their lunch served by the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama. And she urged Americans everywhere to consider volunteering at soup kitchens in their communities. Here's the first lady in her own words.</s>MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY: My purpose here is to listen, learn and to scoop some risotto. And hopefully everybody was satisfied with my scoops. Can I hear something for my scoops? I just want to --</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.</s>M. OBAMA: I just want to reiterate what Scott said. We are facing some tough times in this country. And there is a moment in time when each and every one of us needs a helping hand. Miriam's kitchen has become a place where so many people have been able to find that helping hand. And we have to - I want to, on behalf of the White House, and the administration, thank the staff and the volunteers of the Miriam kitchen for their focused work over the past 26 years, providing a home for their guests, folks who represent all of the best that this country has to offer. Their work here has meant the world to so many. And it is an example of what we can do as a country and as a community to help folks when they're down. That's why I want to urge people who are listening that if you have an opportunity to come by, not just this soup kitchen, but any soup kitchen in your community, and helping is an easy thing to do. Collect some fruits and vegetables. Bring by some good, healthy food. You know, we want to make sure that our guests here and across this country are eating nutritious items. Today we had fresh risotto with mushrooms. We had broccoli. We had fresh baked muffins with carrots in it. And my understanding is that this facility is able to provide that kind of meal for about $1.50. And that's an incredible thing to remember. That we can provide this kind of healthy food for communities across this country, and we can do it by each of us lending a hand.</s>BLITZER: First lady speaking earlier at a homeless shelter earlier. White house staffers, by the way, donated eight crates of fresh fruit, some of which was served today. The first lady's visit to that Washington homeless center today comes at a time when the nation's capitol, Washington, D.C., is in need of some extra help. According to the census bureau, Washington ranks right now eighth in the nation with more than one in six people living below the poverty line. D.C.'s rate is higher than the national average at 16.4 percent. The government defines a person living in poverty is someone earning less than $10,600 a year. And to our viewers, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM. Happening now, President Obama suggests it's now or never for health care reform. Just wrapped up an emergency summit on this life- and-death issue and he said he's open to every idea on the table. He said he's flexible. Plus, Senator Ted Kennedy at the summit and on a mission.