Local nonprofits grapple with high gas prices
LANCASTER —Meals on Wheels Older Adult Alternatives of Fairfield County helps senior citizens who need support with food, cleaning and personal care; however, the nonprofit may need help of its own if gas prices continue to increase.
As employees and volunteers travel to deliver food, provide cleaning services and transportation to non-emergency medical appointments, gas usage quickly increases, as does the price to refill the agency’s vehicles’ tanks.
With 12 food delivery routes within the city of Lancaster and eight additional routes throughout Fairfield County, employees and volunteers travel nearly 650 miles per day, Anna Tobin, Executive Director of Meals on Wheels of Fairfield County, said.
In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic was becoming prevalent, Tobin said MOW paid $1.55 per gallon of gas from the city’s fuel depot; as of May 17, the cost per gallon of gas was $3.64 for the agency.
“Over all those routes that we're doing, it's about 170,000 miles a year,” Tobin said. “We purchase 1500 gallons of gas a month, so when you're starting to put all this together … we're looking at (a) 60% increase in our fuel costs over the course of the pandemic.”
In the last two years, MOW’s food expenses have increased by approximately 15% and its staff costs have increased by 13%, Tobin said.
MOW staff acted as essential workers throughout the pandemic and continued to deliver food to seniors, Tobin said. To compensate for their continued service, an appreciation stipend was provided to all staff members, which contributed to the increase in staff costs.
Tobin said MOW offers competitive wages to staff, but the agency’s pay cannot be considered “high” when compared to businesses and restaurants in the area that offer $14 to $15 an hour.
“It's tough; it's just tough,” Tobin said. “There's that balance all the time (to) keep people working, keep people engaged, keep appreciating them. Keeping services at a reasonable cost so we can continue to serve and not have (a) waiting list for services is a big concern for us.”
As operation costs increase, Tobin said her fear of needing to create a waitlist for those who request MOW services would be a last resort. Other alternatives, like delivering food less often, would be a first step in lowering the agency’s expenditures, Tobin said.
In 2018, MOW passed a levy that increased its yearly operating budget by about $1.3 million, according to a previous Lancaster Eagle-Gazette report. Originally, the agency was going to renew the 5-year levy in 2023 for the next five years with no intention of also asking voters for an increase in funding, but Tobin said the pandemic affected the budget in a way no one could have predicted.
“We wanted this levy to last us 10 years so when we go back to the voters next time, we don't have to ask for an increase,” Tobin said. “We're not sure if we're going to be able to come back and not ask the voters for increased levy. That's what keeps me up at night.”
Recently, volunteers for MOW have started to request reimbursement for the gas they use while making deliveries. Tobin said she happily reimburses every volunteer who asks, but it is a cost that continues to stretch the MOW budget.
Another nonprofit organization, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Fairfield County, or BBBS, has not yet had its volunteers or staff members request reimbursement for the traveling they do for the organization, Jolyn Pugh, the Executive Director of BBBS, said.
“I really think that our volunteers probably limit how much they're doing with the kids,” Pugh said. “The big trips to go out of town—I think they probably limit those more than they did in the past, but no one has complained yet.”
BBBS staff members are eligible for nearly $0.60 per mile in reimbursement from the agency, but they each choose to donate their mileage, Pugh said. As gas prices continue to rise, Pugh said she appreciates their donations even more.
“I definitely feel like if my staff didn't donate their mileage back that I would be in trouble,” Pugh said. “(Gas prices) haven't affected us as an agency yet, (but) I can see it affecting us soon, especially if my staff decide to start turning in mileage again.”
Although gas prices have not directly affected BBBS, Pugh said there was a dramatic decrease in donations the organization received during its most recent fundraiser. The profits from this year’s Bowl for Kids’ Sake fundraiser dropped by nearly $15,000 in donations, causing Pugh to speculate that gas and food costs may have been a contributing factor.
As the baby boomer generation ages, more are in need of MOW services, Tobin said. Despite the possibility of needing to reimburse more people, Tobin said volunteers will always be welcome because it alleviates the workload of the MOW staff.
“We have great people that work here who care deeply about the seniors and they will do anything that they need to do to help our seniors, but there are things that are outside of our control,” Tobin said.
To volunteer at BBBS, visit bbbs-fairfieldoh.org. To register as a volunteer at Meals on Wheels, call Volunteer Manager Lisa Gallimore at 740-681-5050.
@AddieHedges
ahedges1176@gmail.com
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Local nonprofits grapple with high gas prices
