Price at the pump deflating volunteerism

Ruth Sava takes her volunteerism seriously.

"I'm not interested in the fancy dinners," the 77-year-old says. "I'm interested in working with people."

So, for seven years, she's gladly made the 50-mile round-trip drive from her home in Palos Heights to the Sharing Connection in Downers Grove, where she helps in any way she can, even if it's sweeping the floors.

But Sharing Connection, a group that collects donated furniture and household items for distribution to the needy, faces a double whammy: Donations are down in the poor economy, so there's not as much work for volunteers like Sava.

And now, she says, she has to scale back her trips to Sharing Connection to once a week "because the price of gas is going up horrendously."

That's something Cindy Johnson, volunteer coordinator for the agency, is afraid she'll see more of as gas prices continue to set record highs.

The trickle-down effect of gasoline prices could hurt volunteers across the suburbs -- and people who don't even drive.

Gas prices have eclipsed $4 per gallon, and suburban agencies that deliver meals to seniors are struggling to find new volunteer drivers and could face problems just reimbursing their existing ones.

The Salvation Army Golden Diners in Geneva coordinates the distribution of 650 meals a day for Kane and McHenry counties.

"We do have a lot of volunteers who do not charge us for mileage. But if it keeps up, they won't have a choice," said Linda Collins, the office manager who assists the program.

Collins said the Golden Diners does not receive funding from the Salvation Army's red holiday kettles.

Half its money must come from local donations.

When all is said and done, it costs the Golden Diners about $8 to procure, prepare and deliver a single meal.

The organization recently sent out letters asking recipients to increase their per-meal "donation" from $2.75 to $3.50, but they don't expect an influx of cash.

"We don't charge people for meals if they don't have the money," said Barbara Liden, Salvation Army Golden Diners community liaison and volunteer coordinator.

A team of 25 paid drivers and 250 volunteers delivers lunches five days a week.

About 50 drivers are reimbursed now, but more are asking each day, Liden said.

"If (reimbursement costs) got too high, we might have to cut back on our services," Liden said. "We don't want to do that."

So far, the volunteer base has not diminished.

But if volunteer drivers drop out, it will take longer for seniors to receive their meals. And drivers will spend less time with each recipient.

Gordon Roe is the site manager for the Salvation Army office in Elgin and delivers meals to seniors when needed.

On Thursday, Roe's mission was to deliver 35 plates of turkey, sweet potatoes, broccoli, milk and dessert.

Roe is glad his 1997 Ford Ranger has a 4-cylinder engine, but his colleagues are wondering whether their mileage reimbursements will rise to keep pace with gas prices.

"I get that quite a bit," Roe said. "(Gas costs) take a bite, even with the reimbursement."

There are no rules on how much an organization should reimburse volunteers. But if you volunteer and don't want to directly hit the organization you're helping out, you can claim 14 cents a mile on your income taxes.

Some volunteers have stopped driving Meals-on-Wheels routes in Lake County because of rising gas costs, said Carol Lentz-Headley, director of social services for the local Catholic Charities.

Many, however, have taken up other volunteer jobs, such as working in dining halls.

When possible, the organization tries to give drivers short routes.

The Barrington Area Council on Aging runs its Meals on Wheels program without government funding. It uses 14 churches in the Barrington area to recruit volunteer drivers.

Executive Director Joyce Palmquist said age, not gas prices, so far has been the reason volunteers have given up driving. But she shares the same concerns as the Golden Diners in Geneva.

"If the gas continues to go up, the volunteers might request that they be compensated. It may be that we have to start reimbursing them," said Palmquist, adding she has no idea where the council would find funding. "Where are the resources going to come for that?"

Marylin Krolak, acting executive director of the Dupage Seniors Citizens Council, said her group hasn't seen a drop in volunteers because of gas. Yet.

"But it will," she said. "We have over 1,500 drivers on the books and we had a site manager meeting the other day, and that was a topic of discussion and they're hearing from some that they don't know how much longer they can keep doing it with these prices."

How to help

The Salvation Army Golden Diners in Geneva coordinates delivery of 650 meals a day to seniors in the Kane and McHenry county area. It does not receive funding from the red holiday kettles.

• Tax-deductible donations may be sent to the diners at: 1031 E. State St., Geneva, Ill. 60134. Write "Golden Diners" in the subject line.