Gas prices ‘triple whammy’ for vehicle-driven charities, non-profits

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This article was published 08/03/2022 (926 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Charities and non-profits which rely on vehicles to move food, meals, clients and support in Manitoba are finding they’re pouring a lot more of the donations they receive into the gasoline tanks.

Vince Barletta, Harvest Manitoba president and chief executive officer, said the recent spike in gasoline prices not only hurts a food distribution charitable organization but also the clients it serves.

“For us, it is a triple whammy,” Barletta said Wednesday.

“It costs us more to move our trucks, it hurts people on the margins because of inflation, and it makes it more expensive for people and us to buy food. It is a big burden.”

After hovering around $1.30 per litre for months in Winnipeg, in the past few days, since the Russian army invaded Ukraine, prices have soared at pumps across the city.

Last week, gas prices jumped to an average of $1.49.4 per litre; on Thursday, lowest prices were about $1.73.

In that time, Barletta said Harvest has had people signing up to ask for food hampers for the first time.

“It hits people in their pocket books,” he said. “The No. 1 reason why we’re having new clients needing hampers is because they simply cannot make ends meet — and inflation and gas prices are a big part of that.”

Rhonda Gardner, executive director of Meals on Wheels in Winnipeg, said gasoline is needed to move the wheels on volunteer vehicles or 300 to 500 meals per day wouldn’t be delivered. The charity delivers 174,000 meals each year on 33 routes.

“Our volunteers get an honorarium for each route,” Gardner said, noting at this time it is $6. “Right now, they are absorbing the cost of gas, insurance, maintenance, wear and tear.

“No one has resigned because of it, but I am looking at increasing the honorariums… We’re still trying to recover from losing many volunteers because of COVID.”

Megan Tate, Winnipeg Foundation director of community grants, said there are plenty of organizations using vehicles for their programming which will be impacted by higher gas prices.

“This includes youth-serving organizations that transport kids, especially making sure they get home safely, street outreach programs, organizations that take clients to appointments, organizations that deliver food, organizations that pick up and deliver furniture, (and) daycares,” Tate said.

“The foundation’s current COVID response/adapt grants are not specifically intended to address increased costs. However, they are unrestricted, so an organization can use them where they need them most. “

Maj. Al Hoeft, a spokesman for the Salvation Army, said while a large vehicle the Christian charity’s canteen truck, which provides warm meals and beverages to needy people, uses a lot of fuel, it’s not the only one.

“In the Prairie division, we have vehicles for our thrift shops, street ministry, shelter — you add it all up and it will hit us,” Hoeft said. “But we will adjust. We just have to find ways to raise funds or find other places to make some small cuts… If it means we will have to be creative, we will get creative.

“We can’t just stop what we’re doing.”

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca