Linda Nguyen Published: Saturday, May 24, 2008

 

OTTAWA -- In the past six years, Alvin Douglas has delivered almost 10,000 lunches, dinners and vegetable baskets to needy residents in Toronto as a volunteer driver with a local Meals on Wheels program.

 

But as gasoline prices continue to skyrocket across Canada, Douglas worries that Woodgreen Community Services, the agency that runs the program, will find it more and more difficult reimbursing volunteers like him for gas.

 

"Gas price does affect things," the 80-year-old retiree said. "I'm living on a pension and even though I'm reasonably comfortable, I'm not loaded. I've had to cut back a little."

 

And this reality of record-high gas prices does not look like it's going to change.

 

This week, Prime Minister Stephen Harper predicted prices at the pumps will continue to rise for the next several years, with little that governments can do to lower them. Gas peaked at about $1.41 per litre in some rural areas last week and the price is forecasted to climb into the summer.

 

It's a reality Douglas has learned to deal with each week when he drives 10 kilometres to deliver the prepackaged meals to residents in his east Toronto neighbourhood who are unable to cook for themselves or to afford to pay for a nutritious meal.

 

Because he uses his vehicle for volunteering, he's had to limit the number of times he's taken his car out to run personal errands -- opting to ride his bicycle instead.

 

Jane Piccolotto, a director at Woodgreen, says that Douglas isn't the only one who's worried about rising gas prices. The organization is concerned that fewer volunteers will be signing up to give their time to charities if the financial costs continue to run high. "We are worried about the future," she said.

 

"We can either try to fundraise more to meet that gap or charge more for meals," she said. "But we're delivering to low-income people and we cannot raise the fees sufficiently enough to recover the increased costs. It's quite a dilemma for us."

 

Piccolotto said another danger is that for the first time, the demographics in volunteers is also changing -- shifting from retired seniors to young professionals and families.

 

And as the cost of volunteering continues to rise, young professionals will simply not be able to afford to give their time or their gas money to a charity.

 

"We've always been concerned about our sustainability but we're now keeping a close watch on rising food and gas prices," she said. "We believe everyone is entitled to the essentials in life and everyone deserves food. But we'll have to decrease our services if there is no other option."

 

Volunteer Canada president Ruth MacKenzie, in Ottawa, said rising gas prices have put an increased burden on volunteer organizations across the country that rely on vehicles to deliver meals or provide transportation for errands or medical appointments.

 

"It's a real conundrum," she said. "We're faced with a situation of decreased access to petroleum so over the next 20 years, it's going to have a clear impact on many volunteer organizations."

 

MacKenzie said organizations will have to look at creative solutions to cut down costs.

 

"They may have to start looking at carpooling, purchasing a van, doing group transportation instead of one-on-one transportation, using public transit or even bike transport," she said. "The organizations will need to plan effectively and know what their costs will be for the next five to 10 years."

 

She said even though volunteers have always cited economic barriers as a reason for not volunteering, the reality of gas prices may deter new volunteers from even thinking about doing it in the first place.

 

Either way, it will have a resounding impact on smaller charitable organizations.

 

"Organizations are already stretched for volunteers and now they have to overcome more costs. They're being forced to depend more on the good will and ability of the volunteers to fill these costs."

 

Stewart Grafton of Chilliwack, B.C., said that he first became a volunteer driver with the Canadian Cancer Society right after he lost his father to the chronic disease.

 

That was nine years ago and he doesn't plan on stopping -- despite any rising costs.

 

"I'm personally very committed to volunteering because I know how valuable it is to the patients," the 66-year-old said. "It's hard for me to forget the many Ôthank-you's' and the people who tell me that if it wasn't for the free service, they wouldn't be able to get into the treatments."

 

Grafton drives as many as 12 patients a week from Chilliwack to a cancer treatment centre in Vancouver, about 100 kilometres away.

 

The majority of the patients he transports suffer from breast or prostate cancer and without his lift wouldn't have been able to get to their radiation treatments.

 

He said providing that service for free is invaluable.

 

"You know how important it is for a patient when they start calling me an angel," Grafton said. "I really hope that we can maintain this program for them even as it gets more expensive."