Higher prices at the gas pump. Sticker-shock in the grocery store. It’s not only you and I dealing with the impact. Same goes for non-profit organizations which operate on tight budgets.

The Atlanta chapter of Meals On Wheels (MOWA) is trying to navigate a squeeze to its budget. MOWA serves roughly 600 seniors every week with seven meals along with breakfast supplies. Deliveries are made three times a week.

MOWA chief of operations Robert Gerstenecker tells WSB Radio fuel expenditures for its fleet of delivery vehicles/vans has risen at least 24%, money taken away from producing food. There are also food costs, which have gone up 23%.

“We’ve had to reformulate our projections for what’s going to be happening this year,” says Gerstenecker. “The whole year is going to be us trying to catch up and figure out how this is going to impact ‘22 and beyond.”

He says one of those impacts for the near future will likely be fewer seniors served - but only when someone drops out of the program (such as a senior moves-in with a family member or into a senior home). Gerstenecker says an open slot may not be filled for the time being.

Other ways MOWA is looking to fill the budget gap: Trying to recruit more volunteers to deliver food. There’s also a new pecan product the non-profit is producing and being sold in farmers markets for extra cash. In addition - to start in the next month or two, rental of new event space where an extra revenue stream is hoped-for.

MOWA says it leans almost exclusively on donations from local corporations and private. The non-profit says there is probably some donor “fatigue” with so many organizations needing money. So the group says it’s refreshing its fundraising approach.

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