Free Gas Vouchers for Low-Income Families & Single Moms: Where To Get Help
If you drive a vehicle, then you already know just how expensive it can be to fill up your tank with gas! In more recent times especially, it seems like gas is only becoming more and more expensive—meaning it’s only becoming more and more difficult for people in difficult financial situations to afford!
Perhaps no one understands these stresses more so than a family who can’t afford to fill up their gas tanks, whether that be for getting the kids to school, going to doctor’s appointments, or getting yourself or your partner to work and back every day. While it may seem impossible at times, there are ways that you can receive vouchers for free gas to help you meet your family’s needs.
In this article, we’ll touch on a few of the different organizations that offer low-income families vouchers for free gas, as well as what you may need to do in order to qualify for these vouchers. By the end, you should have a solid understanding of some of the paths you can take next so that you and your family can breathe a little easier knowing that you’ll be able to get yourselves where you need to go.
Table of Contents
Overview
If you’re struggling to put gas in your tank every week, you’re not alone! As of May 2022, a majority of Americans (58%!) are finding it difficult to keep up with the rising cost of gas. And if you also have to put up with the costs and demands of raising a family on a budget, then you’re likely feeling this squeeze even more than those without families to take care of!
Luckily, there are a number of non-profit and charitable organizations that make it their mission to provide help to those with demonstrated need. While some of that helps take the form of food donations and clothing drives, some of these organizations recognize that having access to a running vehicle is equally as important in helping families keep their heads above the water.
Some organizations that offer free gas cards and vouchers for those who need them are:
- The Salvation Army
- Catholic Charities
- The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul
In the following sections, we’ll touch on each of these organizations and programs more in depth, and hopefully find one that is suitable for you and your family to apply to!
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is one of the oldest and most well-known non-profits in the country, and likely the world. Since 1865, this Protestant church and charitable organization has made it their mission to help those in need.
Not only do they offer this support in the form of housing support, utility bill assistance, and food donations, they also have a program that will help you cover the cost of gas or help provide you with other means of transportation in an emergency!
The service is offered at just about any branch of The Salvation Army, and to see if you qualify, you can head into the Salvation Army closest to you and ask to speak with someone about getting a voucher to help you pay for gas.
Vouchers are said to be very limited, however, and usually reserved for those who can truly demonstrate some form of hardship. A formal application is involved, and applicants will be asked to provide proof of their situation along with other supporting documents like pay stubs and other household expenses.
Keep in mind that this is not something you can do often! Most rewards given for gas are usually one-off payments, meaning once you’ve gotten one, you likely won’t be able to get another. However, you may be able to get financial assistance in other ways, such as bus passes or tokens, or even a ride from a volunteer in extreme circumstances.
Catholic Charities
Much like The Salvation Army, Catholic Charities–another faith-based non-profit organization—aims to be of service to those who need help. They offer this help in a number of different ways, including rental assistance programs, utility payments, and transportation assistance to those who can demonstrate need.
Generally, for transportation assistance, help is confined to emergency situations like getting your children to school or for medical appointments, but you may also qualify for help if you’ve recently gotten a new job and need help getting back and forth until you get your first paycheck.
Also like The Salvation Army, Catholic Charities has locations all across the country, and all you need to do to apply for transportation assistance is to find your closest local office and give them a call to get the process started and see if you qualify.
The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul
The goal of The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is to “provide assistance to neighbors in need at the local level.”
To this end, they provide food, clothing, furniture, appliances, transportation, rental assistance, and other financial assistance through local volunteer groups that are located within Catholic church parishes all across the country.
If you’re in need of assistance to help you cover the cost of gas to help out in an emergency situation (like getting to work or getting your kids to school) then you can reach out to your local St. Vincent chapter by visiting the link here.
Conclusion
If you’ve found it difficult to cover the cost of gas recently, you’re in good company! With prices consistently on the rise all across the country, many people have found it difficult to keep up with the costs.
If you’re the head of a low-income family, however, you’re likely feeling this squeeze a little more than most other people out there. That’s because not only do you have to worry about getting yourself where you need to go, but you also need to make sure everyone in your family is able to get where they need to—whether that’s a job, school, or the like.
However, there are non-profit organizations with programs out there to help you pay for gas or offer transportation assistance in other ways, such as bus tokens, to help get you through the week.
In this article we touched on just a few of the options out there, but this list is by no means exhaustive! If you still feel like you need help to cover transportation costs or other living expenses, you can always reach out to your local United Way program by dialing 2-1-1 on your cell phone.
There they can get you in touch with a number of local services that can help you get the help you need in any number of ways, be that money for gas to rental assistance and anything in between!
