Gas Prices Push Charlotte Meals on Wheels Volunteers To Scale Back Deliveries

Five volunteers quit their delivery routes this week at Nourish Up, a Charlotte-area nonprofit. They couldn't afford to fill their tanks anymore. Gas prices jumped more than 19 cents in just one week. North Carolina drivers now pay a statewide average above $4 a gallon, inching closer to the state's 2022 peak of $4.63.

Tina Postal runs the organization that delivers Meals on Wheels and groceries. She said others have slashed how often they can drive. Volunteers don't get reimbursed for gas, and the costs pile up for those logging routes of around 65 miles.

"We every day are facing volunteer shortages because of increased gas prices," said Postal, according to WBTV.

The nonprofit delivered to well over 170,000 people in 2025, a record-breaking number. Postal said that figure is enough to fill Bank of America Stadium.

Each week, the nonprofit delivers at least 2,100 meals. It provides groceries to at least 600 more people. About 450 drivers are needed each week to keep the program running.

"Our numbers of people that we're helping are not declining. The need is actually skyrocketing at the same time that our volunteerism is going down," Postal said.

Vicki Shulstad and her husband, Dave, have been delivering for six years. They said they're thinking about the rising costs but believe the need is too great to stop now.

"I know a lot of people can't and won't be able to continue to deliver, but that's why we need more people who may be able to help do deliveries because the food needs to get out," Shulstad said.

The pressure is being felt nationwide. Meals on Wheels reports nearly 46,000 seniors are on waitlists. The largest the organization has seen.

There is no waitlist in Charlotte. But Postal said that could change if volunteer numbers continue to fall.

"If gas prices continue and we continue to lose volunteers, we will certainly have to scale back the program," she said.