the average price of a gallon of gas<\/a> in Pennsylvania is hovering just above $4. For Meals on Wheels Erie volunteers, that expense comes straight out of their own pockets as they use personal vehicles to deliver meals to homebound residents across the county.<\/p>\nBarbara Brairton has been volunteering with Meals on Wheels Erie since 2012 and says she has recently seen the rising costs force at least one volunteer to step away.<\/p>\n
\u201cI talked to one of our volunteers just two weeks ago, and he said he had to quit because the gas prices were going up so much,\u201d Brairton said.<\/p>\n
Still, Brairton continues to deliver, saying the mission outweighs the financial challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a challenge \u2014 the gas prices, there is no question,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I think these people depend on us. And for me, it\u2019s fulfilling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brairton said she\u2019s formed close bonds with many of the people on her route \u2014 relationships she isn\u2019t willing to give up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know the people I deliver to. I almost know their relatives \u2014 their kids, their dogs, their cats,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t want to change my route.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other volunteers echoed that sentiment.<\/p>\n
Jon Bickerstaff, who has volunteered for more than two years, says gas prices don\u2019t factor into his decision to keep showing up.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not the gas that fuels us \u2014 it\u2019s the mission,\u201d Bickerstaff said. \u201cIt\u2019s more about the impact that we have on the community and our neighbors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Newer volunteers say the rising cost hasn\u2019t slowed them down either. Emmett Verdecchia joined Meals on Wheels Erie earlier this year after retiring and calls the experience rewarding.<\/p>\n
\u201cA couple extra bucks in gas just doesn\u2019t even factor into the satisfaction that you get,\u201d Verdecchia said.<\/p>\n
Meals on Wheels Erie Executive Director Jennifer Hoffman says the organization relies heavily on volunteers \u2014 especially as demand continues to grow.<\/p>\n
The nonprofit operates with a small staff and depends on more than 120 volunteers to help deliver an average of more than 230 meals each day across up to 17 routes.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor those folks that come here every single day, on their own time and on their own dime, to make sure our neighbors are fed \u2014 I couldn\u2019t ask for better people,\u201d Hoffman said.<\/p>\n
She adds that Volunteer Appreciation Week is an important opportunity to recognize that dedication.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey come here every single day, on their own time and on their own dime,\u201d Hoffman said. \u201cWe\u2019re making sure we\u2019re giving our thanks to our volunteers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even as prices rise, volunteers say the connections they build \u2014 and the people they serve \u2014 make every mile worth it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re as concerned about me as we are about them,\u201d Bickerstaff said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s a special feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re interested in donating or volunteering, visit their website at MealsOnWheelsErie.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As gas prices climb across Pennsylvania, local Meals on Wheels Erie volunteers say the growing cost of filling…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":171718,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[524,1244,136,138,137,8098,39841,13392,6725,77052,4345],"class_list":{"0":"post-171717","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-erie","8":"tag-community","9":"tag-elderly","10":"tag-erie","11":"tag-erie-headlines","12":"tag-erie-news","13":"tag-gas-prices","14":"tag-meal-delivery","15":"tag-meals-on-wheels","16":"tag-nonprofit","17":"tag-volunteer-appreciation-week","18":"tag-volunteers"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=171717"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171717\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/171718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=171717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=171717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=171717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}