Rising gas prices are impacting the day-to-day operations of local nonprofits that focus on food insecurity.
Gas prices have jumped about a dollar per gallon in the past month across the D.C. region, and it’s unclear how much more prices could still climb.
That makes it harder to plan, harder to attract volunteers and get donations and, ultimately, harder to get food to the people who need it most.
Food & Friends in D.C. is a lifeline for people with serious illnesses such as cancer and HIV/AIDS, delivering medically tailored meals to their homes. The organization says demand is growing as costs keep climbing.
“We try to budget for inflation. You know, food increases, gas increases every year. But this was a spike that none of us saw coming and is, obviously, well outside of what we were planning for,” Food & Friends CEO Carrie Stoltzfus said.
Food & Friends relies on both staff drivers and volunteers, many of whom use their own cars. Higher gas prices make it harder to ensure every delivery gets made.
“The more we pay to get to someone’s house, that’s money that we then have to find or can’t find to take care of the next person who calls us tomorrow and needs our help,” Stoltzfus said.
Manna Food Center in Montgomery County, Maryland, serves more than 10,000 families each month. They’re feeling the same strain.
“We know we need to serve more people, and we can’t serve more people if we’re paying more at the pump,” Manna Food Center CEO Craig Rice told News4 via a video call.
According to AAA, the average price for regular gas in the District is now $4.19 — a full dollar higher than just a month ago. Maryland and Virginia have seen similar spikes.
And with no clear relief in sight, the added cost is stretching already tight budgets.
“I can’t cut corners there. I have to pay those higher gas prices to make sure that those deliveries are there, because without that, those people would go hungry,” Rice said.
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