[neefer]

That’s a sweet story. I’ve thought about taking in foster kids but I don’t think I could deal with the system or having to part with them when the time came.

[Vigilanteman]

Thanks, but we really weren't trying to be heros-- just help out a friend in need. It just illustrates how hosed many of these government programs are-- if you make it a way of life, they are easy to make into a career. However, if you have a legitimate short-term need (for which they were supposedly designed), you'll get twisted up in red tape before you can actually make use of them.

In the end, the friend's church was totally wonderful about bringing us food for the kids, so it didn't cost us that much out of pocket.