Hannah Styles
hstyles@thesmokymountain.com
The COVID-19 pandemic and shutdown has caused shortages and higher prices at the grocery store and new inflation on gas.
Blame it on the pandemic, supply shortages, OPEC and even federal stimulus, consumers are seeing higher prices at the gas pump and the grocery store.
North Carolina’s gas prices saw a rapid increase in October, with prices rising to $3.10 a gallon at the start of the month and rising to $3.25 at the month’s close. There was a 1-cent increase this past week. The change represents more than $1.33 increase over numbers in October 2020.
In Bryson City, the average price has been holding steady at about $3.29 a gallon.
According to AAA, the average daily gas price was the highest we’d seen in 7 years, October 2014 to be exact. On average, that means consumers are paying about $17 more to fill up their tanks.
“Although oil prices remain elevated, they seem to have leveled off, which helped prevent any additional spikes at the pump last week,” said Tiffany Wright, spokesperson, AAA – The Auto Club Group in the Carolinas in a press release Monday. “Motorists could see another week of stagnant gas prices, unless there are any big shifts in what has become an extremely tight crude oil market.”
The price of crude increased a total of 12% in October, settling at nearly $84 per barrel on Friday. The increased cost of crude raises the cost of producing gasoline.
Prices also increased after the U.S. Department of Energy dispelled speculation that the Biden Administration would ban crude exports and or sell crude oil held in the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
According to AAA, the sale could have put more crude into the domestic market but is unlikely to have had a sustained downward impact on oil prices.
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia and their allies, known as OPEC+, will maintain production cuts during their meeting this week.
For updated state and metro prices log on to https://gasprices.aaa.com/
Food prices increase
Food prices are also on the rise. According to the Economic Research Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Consumer Price Index for all food increased 0.8% from Aug. 2021 to Sept. 2021, and food prices were 4.6% higher than in Sept. 2020.
(www.ers.usda.gov).
Including the cost of food for dining out, the overall month-to-month increase was 3% between August and September. The highest increases at the store have been for beef, increasing by 6.5%, and the lowest increase has been for fresh vegetables. Eggs, fish and poultry have also increased in price.
Prices have risen due to several factors including demand, labor shortages, supply chain disruptions and high feed costs. Storms and droughts also impacted meat prices this spring and processing facility closures due to cybersecurity attacks impacted prices, according to the ERS.
With rising inflation, some families are forced between filling up the tank to drive to work and putting food on their table.
Kim Cunningham, Swain County Department of Social Services Benefits Support Supervisor, said since the height of the pandemic, people receiving food stamps have been getting the maximum amount of benefits, which helps relieve some of the burden.
“Since the worst of Covid, those who are on food stamp services are getting the max benefits for their household size regardless of eligibility. Also, MANNA FoodBank does food distribution about three times a month at local churches like Victory Baptist, First Baptist and Southwestern Community College in Swain County. There is no limit to how many of those you can visit monthly,” Cunningham said.
Additional help for families with children has been made available through the state.
“Although it is not through us, P-EBT also helps out families with school age children and goes on whether the child is on the free lunch program at school,” Cunnignham said. “What’s really sad is the people who fall through the cracks. They make just enough to not be eligible for assistance but don’t make enough to survive with the way gas and food prices are right now. Also, we are seeing that housing is the biggest struggle for those in the community right now.”
For information on P-EBT, visit North Carolina Department of Social Services online (ncdhhs.gov) and go to the Food and Nutrition Services page.
To apply for Food and Nutrition benefits through Swain County DSS, call to schedule an appointment at 488-6921 or visit the office, located at 80 Academy Street, Bryson City, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on a weekday. To learn more, visit, http://www.swaincountync.gov/DSS/dss-home.html.