SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – The prices at the pump are raising in cost and raising eyebrows.
Those costs are getting high for Dean Wakeham, as he drives for Meals on Wheels San Diego County as a volunteer.
"I'm putting upwards of 30 gallons in my tank. It gets pretty expensive pretty quick. It's like a 150 bucks for every 400 miles I get,” Wakeham said.
Rising gas prices are creating a concern for nonprofit organizations like Meals on Wheels San Diego County as Americans shell out more for gas.
"About 70 percent of the volunteers who deliver those meals the last leg of the journey those are retired people on fixed incomes,” Brent Wakefield, CEO of Meals on Wheels San Diego County, said. "What we're worried about is, are some of these volunteers going to think it's actually getting too expensive for them to do that for us."
A reality Wakeham said he could see happen but hopes it doesn't.
"I know that the encouragement that the seniors get from me showing up and bringing them food and having someone to talk to every day, I mean, I think that's almost priceless to the seniors,” Wakeham said.
Wakefield said that it's still too early to tell if they'll have to divert more monetary donations towards gas or other items.
"We're going to grow with more caution. And maybe not go as big as we would have otherwise because we're having to tighten the screws,” Wakefield said.
With fuel costs getting infuriating, Wakeham's mindset is staying strong with his volunteer work.
"We just got to keep working on the mission. That to me is more what it's about than anything,” Wakeham said.
