"Based in Fort Worth, this regional food bank has seen fuel costs jump roughly 45% over ten months, driving monthly gasoline spending for its fleet of 18-wheelers from about $15,000 to nearly $22,000. That fleet previously enabled deliveries of more than 5 million pounds of food to thousands of clients across a 13-county service area spanning over 6,000 square miles. The organization purchases less than 1% of the food it distributes—about half comes from corporate donations and half from government programs like TEFAP—so the bulk of its budget goes to logistics: storing, transporting, and distributing food through partner agencies such as soup kitchens, LGBTQ centers, and Meals on Wheels. Rising fuel bills, the impending expiration of pandemic relief grants, and sustained demand threaten to force further budget tightening and could reduce the number of people the bank can serve." - Amy McCarthy