Gas prices impact community organizations that rely on volunteer drivers

Rising gas prices are affecting more than just commuters in Manitoba.

Programs that rely on volunteer drivers, like Meals on Wheels, are concerned that the increased cost will keep people from wanting to help out.

Meals on Wheels director Rhonda Gardner told 680 CJOB’s The Start that the honorarium her program pays to volunteer drivers was increased to $6 per route, which could include up to 20 deliveries, a few years ago, and it could increase again.

“We try to keep the routes all about the same size. We try to keep them compacted, and there are only 10 to 20 clients per route,” she said.

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“The more volunteers we have, the less times per week our current volunteers have to go out.”

Gardner said 25 per cent of volunteers donate the honorarium back to the program, but Meals on Wheels — a program that helps deliver food to isolated seniors and people with disabilities — is always on the hunt for more drivers, and she’s concerned the gas prices Winnipeggers are seeing now will scare away potential volunteers.

“It’s something we have to look at very carefully,” Gardner said of increasing that fee.

“A lot of the volunteers are just people who do it because they love doing it. The honorarium is nice, but it’s not the reason they’re doing it.

“We would love to have more volunteers — that would be a tremendous help — because we’d have to close the doors without them. The more volunteers we have, the more our current volunteers have to go out during a week.”

Gas prices are on the rise across Canada, and experts say it’s going to have a ripple effect across multiple sectors, including food and travel.

“You absolutely have to change your approach to grocery shopping,” food distribution and policy professor Sylvain Charlebois told Global News this week.

“There are different ways to save money, but you can’t really continue to do what you’re doing and expect to save money.”

3:46 Skyrocketing gas prices hitting Winnipeg courier company