JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Record-high gasoline prices, coupled with rapidly rising costs for food and other goods, has begun to cripple individuals and families at the lower end of the income scale, sending them in droves to food banks and other charities.
Some people are virtually stranded at home, unable to travel anywhere because they cannot afford to fuel up their car.
Amy, a mother of two who lives in Callahan, Florida, near the border with Georgia, spent $110 Monday at a local gas station, where a gallon of regular gasoline costs $4.81. She then hit the grocery store, where she pushed her cart past many of the items her family needed because she couldn’t afford them.