“Whether I have the money for gas or not, it’s got to get done,” lamented Misti Kendrick Thursday afternoon. Kendrick, owner of The Protein Place in downtown Iola, said rising fuel prices are making her second job delivering for Amazon Hub increasingly expensive.
From delivery drivers and small business owners to families struggling with utility bills, the economic effects of conflicts thousands of miles away in the Middle East are being felt across southeast Kansas.
Global oil markets have become increasingly volatile as the war between Iran and the U.S. tighten energy supplies.
On Thursday, oil prices climbed above $126 per barrel — a four-year high — amid fears the conflict could further disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil and gas transportation routes.
The impact is now appearing at gas pumps, on utility bills and in the daily routines of Kansans trying to keep businesses and households afloat.
For Kendrick, fuel costs have become one of her biggest challenges as she balances running her protein drink shop and delivering packaages.
“Amazon doesn’t pay us for gas,” Kendrick said. “It sucks.” She said filling her Chevrolet Impala once cost about $35. Now, it costs more than $60 and lasts only about three days when making deliveries.
“I want a bigger vehicle so bad,” she said. “But I refuse to buy an SUV with gas at the price it is.”
Kendrick believes the higher costs are forcing many people into difficult financial situations. “It’s making people struggle who maybe weren’t struggling,” she said.
THAT STRAIN is also showing up at local assistance organizations.
Barbara Button, director of Humanity House, said requests for utility assistance have surged well beyond normal levels. “In March, we gave $11,000 in utility assistance,” Button said. “We typically give $4,000 to $5,000 a month.”
As of Thursday morning, Humanity House had provided nearly $5,000 in assistance during April. Demand became so overwhelming that the organization temporarily exhausted its funds and was unable to help residents with utility bills for about 10 days during the month.
“It’s not that there wasn’t as much of a need,” Button said. “It’s just that we ran out of funds from there being such a need.”
Button said the organization is also seeing many first-time applicants.
“We’ve seen a lot of new people come in who’ve never used our support before,” she said. “But because of the increase in bills, they’re needing the help.”
She is now reviewing several years of data to better understand who is being affected most.
