Valley non-profits also impacted by rising gas prices

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Every day, a fleet of trucks heads out from the Central California Food Bank to transport goods to the clients they serve and those trucks all need fuel.

It also increases the need for their services.

"Our average neighbor, with the prices we are seeing right now, are probably spending an extra $15 to $20 per fill-up," says Co-CEO Natalie Caples. "That means less of that money in their budget to be able to purchase food."

Caples says she's now bargaining with fuel companies -- trying to control their costs.

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"We have about 12 vehicles and we are using on average 800 gallons per month, so for us, it's important to keep those fuel costs low because for every extra dollar we're spending at the pump per gallon, based on our average monthly usage, that means 6,000 less meals," she said.

One in four adults and one in three children in Central California are struggling with hunger.

Other local non-profits say that with gas prices on the rise, the demand for assistance isn't slowing down.

"We're still serving about 35% more people than we were two years ago and we don't see that going down anytime soon," says Ashlee Wolf with Catholic Charities.

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Local non-profits like Catholic Charities say they have already started to see an increase in need for their services, and they expect a more drastic need still to come.

"We're seeing new faces again like we were in March and April of 2020, people who have never had to stand in our lines before," Wolf said.