Community Foodbank of Central Alabama navigating increasing cost of fuel

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - The Community Food Bank of Central Alabama is $39,000 over budget on gas costs this year as diesel prices in Alabama sit at about $6.15 per gallon and gas prices are over $4 per gallon.

The food bank said the increased fuel costs are affecting the organization, its partners, and the families who rely on it for meals.

When building its yearly budget, the food bank looks back three years to determine how its money will be spent.

“We do a really robust budgeting process every year to make sure we know what we’re planning for the year,” said Nicole Williams, CEO of the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama. “We look at 3 years prior when we’re building those budgets but there’s no way you can tell when they’re going to be large fluctuations as there have been with the fuel prices.”

The food bank is $39,000 over budget on gas and $82,000 over budget on freight costs.

“So it’s $121,000 extra coming out of our budget this year, and it’ll just get worse as the year goes on,” Williams said.

The food bank sends 10 trucks daily to its partners across the state. One route the food bank runs weekly is a three-hour round trip.

“It has come up in conversation that maybe we should slow down our service. But that’s not gonna happen. People need food and meals on their table, and that is our job to get food to them,” Williams said.

Williams said rising fuel prices are also straining the budgets of families the food bank serves.

“Household budgets are really stretched. When you’re paying more for gas money and sometimes for groceries, then that puts a stretch on your household budget,” Williams said.

The food bank plans to budget more for gas next year, hoping that prices will decrease.

Information on Community Foodbank can be found here.

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