Paul Nelson delivers the hot meals. But he isn't all that different from those who receive them.

Nelson lives in the same neighborhood of north Minneapolis that's dotted with for-sale signs and foreclosure notices. He lives in the same economy: with rising prices straining fixed incomes.

So when he volunteered to help Meals on Wheels, Nelson, who is retired, had one condition -- that the group give him money toward gas.

And North Minneapolis Meals on Wheels agreed.

Some senior food programs in the Twin Cities and nationwide are having to change their tactics to retain and recruit volunteers in a time of $4-a-gallon gas.

"It's not that people don't want to volunteer," said Denise Harris, the North Minneapolis program's executive director. But when volunteering is "going to cost you some real money, you have to think hard about that."

Almost a third of Twin Cities programs have seen volunteers quit or reduce their hours because of gas prices, according to a survey Metro Meals on Wheels conducted in early June and will release Monday.

Nationwide, 58 percent of programs have lost volunteers because of gas prices, according to a survey the Meals on Wheels Association of America conducted in May.

Since May, the figure has likely risen along with gas prices, said Enid A. Borden, the association's president and CEO. "It was bad before; it's getting worse," she said.

Cuts are already inevitable in New York City, said Marcia Stein, executive director of Citymeals on Wheels. Workers there are ironing out details to see who will no longer receive meals.

"We have no choice," Stein said. "It's like trying to take a size 10 foot and putting it into a size 7 shoe."

In California, senior programs face a proposed 10 percent cut in state funding, said Donna Anderson, adult services division chief for San Joaquin County Department of Aging in Stockton.

In West Virginia, where about 15 percent of the population is over 60 and more than two-thirds live in rural areas, lawmakers last week provided an additional $1 million to help county agencies pay for food and gas. Without it, the West Virginia Bureau of Senior Services would have had to cut 113,000 meals and make 100,000 fewer trips to and from doctor appointments, the pharmacy and other places seniors need to go to remain independent, officials said.

In the Twin Cities area, not every food program is affected; those based in Burnsville, Hopkins, South St. Paul and St. Louis Park, for example, say they haven't fielded complaints from volunteers about gas prices.

But it's a serious issue for others, further straining some that were already hit hard by climbing food prices and flat government funding -- programs such as North Anoka Meals on Wheels, which closed last month.

In the Metro Meals on Wheels survey, two programs reported that 20 or more of their volunteers had reduced their hours, which is "significant and concerning" said Patrick Rowan, Metro Meals on Wheels' executive director.

"The next step is to stop volunteering altogether," he said. "If gas prices continue to rise, if gas reaches $5 -- I don't know what those tipping points are -- we'll really see an impact."

Eliminating routes

Nationwide, 48 percent of the programs surveyed nationally have eliminated routes or consolidated their meals service, with some making just one drop-off per client each week, delivering one hot meal and four frozen.

So far, Twin Cities programs have avoided such cutbacks.

One reason why: In many cities, "one or two large agencies will service the entire area" from one or two headquarters, said Kathy Dougherty, spokeswoman for Metro Meals on Wheels. Here, 44 separate, smaller programs divvy up territory. So a volunteer might drive 5 miles rather than 15.

The proximity also means volunteers aren't serving "clients," they're serving neighbors.

"The bulk of our volunteers have been a part of this for so long and are deeply connected with people on their routes," said Carolee Hanks, volunteer coordinator for the Hopkins and St. Louis Park programs.

Her volunteers have not even complained. "I bet you they would give up something else if it got to that point," she said.

1.1 million meals delivered

Metro Meals on Wheels is trying to recruit new volunteers to deliver food monthly -- rather than weekly, as people assume is required -- in an effort to respond to growing demand.

Last year, about 7,900 people in the metro area received about 1.1 million home-delivered meals, according to Metro Meals on Wheels, which coordinates 37 of the 44 area programs.

In June, the north Minneapolis program's 50 volunteer and six paid drivers delivered about 3,200 meals, about 80 percent of which were paid for by government programs. Many of the people who rely on it come to the door in wheelchairs.

James Underwood, 71, answered the door on Thursday without a shirt, his skin pulled taut against his rib cage. He was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus in 1997, he said, and although he's now cancer-free, he struggles to catch his breath and has back pain, so taking the bus is tough.

He counts on Meals on Wheels for food and a Provide-A-Ride program for trips to the doctor.

"I'm hanging in there," he said. "And this helps," he added, lifting his meal slightly.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Jenna Ross • 612-673-7168