With gas prices nearing $4 per gallon all across the country, more and more motorists are feeling the fuel pinch. Local social service organizations have been hurting, too.
The Greater Chicago Food Depository has 28 large trucks that deliver food to over 700,000 mouths in the area. Every year, its 66 million pounds of food travel to shelters, soup kitchens, and pantries.
In total, the food bank’s fleet of trucks travels 250,000 miles each year. The agency’s large trucks average 3.5 miles per gallon, while its smaller trucks get 5.5 miles per gallon. The trucks run on diesel fuel, whose prices have skyrocketed. In the past year, the cost per gallon has increased by over $1.
Bob Dolgan, director of communications at the Greater Chicago Food Depository, is concerned about how the fuel costs are affecting the organization’s services.
“The first quarter of 2011, we’ve already spent more than $10,000 on gas than we would have a year ago,” he said. “That’s money that could be going into food, especially in these times when more people need it.”
Dolgan says the food bank has been scheduling more efficient delivery trips and searching for the lowest food prices available. Still, there’s a limit to how much money the additional planning can save them. Dolgan says that although there hasn’t been any less food delivered, the quality has already been suffering.
“We’re not able to go out and get more nutritious food,” said Dolgan.