US: Soaring gas, food prices spell trouble for rural families

Twice a week, Myriam Garcia puts snow chains on her 22-year-old gas guzzler and noses 3.2 kilometres down the hill from her trailer in rural western Montana. Then, instead of turning south and driving the 72 kilometres to Helena for grocery shopping like she used to, she parks on the side of the road and waits for a friend or neighbor heading into town to give her a lift.

In Helena, Jackie Merenz loads her beat-up SUV with juice boxes, graham crackers and apple sauce she bought at Walmart for her 6-year-old daughter's birthday party. The 96-kilometre round trip she makes twice a week for groceries hits her wallet hard — the food stamps don't go far, gas prices are skyrocketing and to top it off, her husband had to stop working after getting injured.

Living out in Montana's Big Sky Country often means driving long distances for the basic necessities, and people on tight budgets like Ms. Garcia, 49, and Ms. Merenz, 26, have long been creative in making ends meet.

But with food prices up nearly 4 per cent last month — the biggest leap in 36 years — and the national average for a gallon of gas at a whopping $3.57 (U.S.), this economic double-whammy is stretching family budgets to the breaking point.

“It took me $50 to fill up my car yesterday. And it will be gone in three days, probably,” Ms. Merenz said. “We already live in HUD housing, we're already on Medicaid, we already have food stamps — and we still struggle.” (read more)