"Top Chef" judge Tom Colicchio co-produced "Finding North," a documentary about hunger in America directed by his wife, Lori Silverbush, and Kristi Jacobson. And the TV chef has some advice on how to fight the problem.

Throw the bums out.

Well, start by talking to your elected representatives.

"This is going to sound trite, but talk to your congressmen," Colicchio said. "Elections are coming up. You've got to reach out to the politicians that we put in office and force them to make these changes. It's really, really important."

Colicchio is not just another celebrity pushing a cause. He's been in the trenches for years.

"I've been involved in the charity model for 20 years now, trying to raise money for a lot of these issues," he said, pointing to his work with New York City food banks, which are "doing wonderful work. Incredible work. But it's not working. The problem's just growing."

Like "Finding North," Colicchio is all in favor of charity efforts to help the hungry. The documentary goes out of its way to praise faith-based charities.

But, as Colicchio said, the problem is getting worse, not better. And a lot of that has to do with government policies.

"I think we live in a country that should take care of this problem," he said. "And we have elected officials that should take care of this as well.

"You've got to ask yourself - what kind of country do we live in?"

-- Scott D. Pierce