Give up meat in America to help feed Europe?

On October 5, 1947, in the first televised White House address, President Truman asked Americans to refrain from eating meat on Tuesdays and poultry on Thursdays to help stockpile grain for starving people in Europe.

The above quote is from today's New York Times' feature "on this day in history."

I'm impressed that the first-ever White House televised event was to ask Americans to forsake some favorite foods so that we could support Europe, still recovering from the devastation of World War II.

I'd like to see that kind of leadership, and that kind of response, to the silent crises of the world today. Sure, cash pours out after a Tsunami in Asia or a devastating hurricane at home, but what about an all-American response to hunger in Africa?