TUCSON, Ariz. — With bags of food in hand, Mark Holcomb, made a stop at a home in a Tucson neighborhood.
"Did you get enough to eat? Is everybody treating you good?," said Holcomb to the man who answered the door.
Holcomb is a volunteer for Mobile Meals of Southern Arizona: a non-profit that delivers daily meals, at little to no cost, to people who can't make, or get, their own.
"Not only do we combat food insecurity, but we combat isolation and loneliness," said Mobile Meals of Southern Arizona CEO, Robert Jensen.
Volunteers use their own cars to deliver meals, but the Regional Transportation Authority offers reimbursement for gas.
"About half of them feel it's part of their duty of volunteering and don't ask for reimbursement," said Jensen. "Now, the phone is beginning to ring and they're asking to get a form to fill out for mileage, because it's so expensive."
Rising gas prices are also binding more people to their homes, which has brought in new clients.
"Our needs our growing. The number of people who need food...we are seeing increase," said Jensen.
"If I didn't have Mobile Meals, I would be struggling," said client, Joab Santos.
The meals mean the world to Santos and hundreds of other Tucsonans. Seeing the smile on his face, makes any obstacle worth overcoming.
"It's very rewarding," said Holcomb. "I don't know who is helping who. If I'm helping them or if they are helping me."
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