With gas prices soring as a result of the ongoing war in Ukraine, a number of Kingston charity organizations are feeling the pinch.
Ronda Candy is the executive director of Martha’s Table, a community centre in Kingston dedicated to providing nutritious meals for those in need. She says she’s watching the rising price of gas closely.
“It’s quite a shock, really,” said Candy.
“It feels like we’re kind of reeling. After the pandemic you think, ‘OK, we might catch our breath,’ and then the war,” she said.
“People are really struggling.”
Candy says Martha’s Table delivers meals Monday through Friday to people in the community.
“Our volunteers also use their own vehicles, so the price of gas is going to have a major impact on our programming,” she said.
Lionhearts is also in the Kingston community, making food deliveries to those in need. Executive director Travis Blackmore says thanks to the generosity of the community, all three delivery vans will remain on the road.
“All we can look to do is put it out there that gas is going up,” said Blackmore
Over at St. Vincent de Paul Society of Kingston, executive director Judy Fyfe says gas prices are just one more added stress to the budget.
“Certainly it’s making us concerned for the future and wanting to appeal to the public to help out as all other charities are struggling right now,” she said.
Fyfe says higher gas prices not only impact their volunteers but also how they do business.
“We’re making sure that all of our deliveries or pickups on a certain day are either in the west end or central or in the north end so that we don’t do any extra driving” she said.
“We’re being very strategic about how we’re burning gas.”
With gas prices continuing to climb to new record highs across the region, driving strategically will no doubt be a new plan used by many.
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