Gas, food prices rising fastest
BY PHILL BARNETT
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Inflation has been on the rise since last year and its effects are being felt all over the country. In Martin County, folks are making sacrifices and relying on community support to get by.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual inflation rate rose to 8.6 percent in May, the highest inflation rate the U.S. has seen since 1981. During the past decades, Americans have seen inflation rates hover around 2 percent.
While there was an initial dip in inflation at the start of 2020, rates spiked in early 2021 and have been steadily increasing ever since. This has led to a cumulative inflation rate of over 13 percent during the pandemic. In other words, today you would need over $113 to cover the spending power that $100 held in March 2020.
This steady increase in the overall cost of living is being driven by massive inflation in essentials like gasoline, which was increasing in cost at a rate of 48.7 percent in May; and food, which was inflating at a rate of 10.1 percent in May, the highest rate since 1981.
Rural communities like Martin County see a heavier impact on the cost of living brought on by fuel increases, as many residents drive long distances for work and operate gasoline- or diesel-powered equipment for their employment.
Resident James Johnson cuts grass for a living around Inez. Johnson says that if gas prices keep increasing, he will have to increase his rates or he will not be able to continue business.
“It’s outrageous. People are out here trying to make a living, trying to work, buddy,” Johnson said.
“And you’re trying to afford gas, and gas prices go right on up. By the time you buy gas and stuff to work with, you ain’t going to make no money.”
Along with fuel prices, food costs have also been on the rise since early 2021 and the effects of this increase are easily visible at grocery stores and restaurants that have been able to remain open despite rising costs.
Debbie Dials, a personal caregiver, spoke Thursday with the Mountain Citizen outside Save A Lot in Inez.
Dials was shopping for her client, an elderly woman on a fixed income. “She draws very little. She only gets $20 in food stamps. I don’t know how she’s going to make it.”
“Before, I could come over here and this buggy would have been loaded down for $100,” Dials recalled. “Just this little bit of stuff here was over $80.”
At times like these, it is more important than ever that communities continue to support one another and build programs like community gardens, such as “His Garden” at Turkey Creek Church of the Nazarene. The 4,500-square-foot garden will ease a bit of financial burden by supplying residents with fresh produce free of charge on the last Saturday of each month.
