HIWASSE, Ark. — Heading to the gas station has become more of a burden in the past few months and more so recently. While people fill up to get to and from work others are filling up because driving is work.
A local pet delivery service is feeling the impact of increased gas prices as they try to make deliveries across the country.
Ozark Freedom Drivers is a pet delivery service that transports pets to shelters across the country with the furthest they travel being 10 hours away in Minnesota. Originally, that trip cost about $80 to 85 round trip but since inflation began that price has almost doubled.
“With this kind of price increases a tank that was costing us about $60 to fill is now approaching $80-85. And so, the average trip was costing us about $80 round trip is now going to be approaching $110, $115,” Romaine Kobilsek with Ozark Freedom Drivers said.
Since January, the group has traveled more than 8,000 miles, racking up more than $1400 on gas alone and there’s no funding unless people decide to donate to the mission. Everything the group does is by volunteering and that includes funds for gas, with most of the donations they do receive going straight to fueling travel kennels or cars.
“They’re nice enough to send us $50 or $100 at a time we are happy to go ahead and receive that and put it right into our account and it goes right back out to the gas pump,” Romaine said.
She added that people have to come out of pocket for the gas money to get the animals where they need to go. She also says they play a game of Tetris when packing the cars to transport the animals to maximize space and minimize the number of cars they take on a trip.
With gas prices so high, it’s also difficult to use donations to help local pet owners who can’t afford procedures for their pets.
The goal is to help as many pets as they can but funds a limited. The organization is accepting donations to help with gas as well as pet owner assistance as inflation continues to increase.
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