Central Florida food banks face higher fuel costs

ORLANDO, Fla. — Central Florida food banks say rising fuel prices are increasing the cost of moving food to people who need it, adding pressure as demand for assistance grows.

The state average for regular gas is $4.29 a gallon, according to AAA. Local food bank leaders said those prices are affecting daily operations, especially transportation and freight costs.

“The deficit as of right now is $200,000 on the freight, the trucking,” said Anjali Vaya, executive director of United Against Poverty in Orlando.

Vaya said United Against Poverty relies heavily on fuel to move food where it needs to go for the people it serves. As fuel prices continue to rise, she said that transportation costs can add up quickly.

“Unfortunately for the clients, they’ve seen numerous hits starting from SNAP to the transportation, the fuel prices at the gas pumps themselves,” Vaya said.

Vaya said shipping and handling costs are normally paid by the customer. But with prices increasing, she said United Against Poverty is choosing not to pass that added cost on to the people it serves.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida is also seeing higher costs, including an increase in its monthly diesel bill.

“Somewhere around $15,000 per month is what our fuel bill is currently looking like,” said Greg Higgerson, chief development officer for Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. “That’s up significantly from this time last year.”

Higgerson said Second Harvest has more than 20 refrigerated semi-trucks that transport loads of food throughout Central Florida.

He said the organization is seeing higher fuel costs at the same time more people are seeking help.

“It’s hard to know what the future holds for the prices, but I can tell you that at the same time that we’re feeling prices for our trucks, it’s the people that we serve that are really being affected here,” Higgerson said. “The demand is going up.”

Higgerson said that could mean Second Harvest spends even more on fuel as it works to get food into communities across Central Florida.

“It’s going to be harder to make ends meet in the next few months,” Higgerson said. “There’s going to be more people. We know that, we see it already, and it’s going to cost more to help those folks.”

Food bank leaders said community support is critical to helping them keep food moving to families who need it.