Ann Marie Dwyer*, OneWorld USMon Jul 28, 3:53 PM ET

KERSHAW, South Carolina, Jul 28 (OneWorld) - Rural America is known for long-time residents who rely on slow-rising gasoline prices to reach the supplies they need to sustain their lifestyles. But the rising cost of oil is now crippling many of these towns.

As the price of oil has more than quadrupled since 2001, local governments and regular people have been forced to adjust to new realities: cutting budgets, changing their lifestyles, and going without luxuries and even some necessities.

Kershaw, South Carolina, a rural town of 2,500 situated 50 miles from the state capital, is a prime example. Most of the town's residents travel once or twice per month to neighboring cities to buy the items not available nearby. Many commute to cities like Lancaster and Camden to work.

But now many of Kershaw's workers are moving closer to their jobs. Sheila Hinson, a local realtor, says: "My business is booming in the city, but hurting in Kershaw." She cannot sell the homes left behind.

"I have to go to town once a month now because I cannot afford the gas. I had to buy a bigger freezer," says Mary Johnson, of Johnson & Johnson. The local merchant, who has Parkinson's disease, now has to open her store more hours despite her doctor's orders to the contrary.

A Rite-Aid Pharmacy employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, says: "We are filling less prescriptions. The senior citizens cannot afford to come get their medicine."

And daycare centers have waiting lists for the first time. Families that have always been one-income now demand two incomes to make ends meet.

Children are suffering the cost of gasoline as well. School buses are prohibited from running air conditioning units, and school boards are to vote by summer's end on the temperature in the classrooms this fall.

School commutes are hurting residents too. Katherine Long, a University of South Carolina (USC) student, says: "I had to cut my class schedule because I cannot afford to drive to Columbia more than twice per week." USC is 50 miles from Kershaw.

Lancaster County Library has cut routes the Book Mobile has traveled for the last 12 years. "With the cost of gas, we are looking for ways to cut the budget," explains the chief librarian.

Meals-on-Wheels has operated in Kershaw from the Lancaster office since it was founded. Meals have not been delivered to Kershaw, which is 17 miles from Lancaster, since oil was $103 per barrel in February.

The price of oil reached record highs of over $140 per barrel this month.

Other charities are also struggling to meet the community's needs. When asked for a charity donation, H&H Chevrolet dealership owner Annette Hinson replied: "People cannot buy cars, and business has been so off that I cannot afford to give."

Many residents are buying golf carts to drive around town. Town drivers are more frequently sharing the road with motor scooters from local motor sports shops.

"Gas is too high. I can't go see everyone I help," says life-long Kershaw resident Kenny Roberts, who hauls garbage for the elderly and delivers food from Buffalo Baptist Church to its shut-in members.

Businesses are closing that have been supporting Kershaw for the last 25 years. "I cannot afford to drive here anymore," says business owner Marcus Bailey of Bailey's Pottery and Antiques. He is a resident of the smaller town Heath Springs, seven miles from Kershaw.

Town Council member Rose Marie Baker is concerned about the continued loss of tax base in Kershaw. "If something does not change, the only choice we will have is to raise taxes," she says. The first reading of the 2008-2009 budget revealed the largest increase in Kershaw history with no significant increase in services.

Kershaw Mayor Tommy Baker is open to suggestions and solicits them before each Town Council meeting. "Kershaw needs more support from the county," he says.

Main Street business owners that remain have banded together to produce a business-oriented festival to draw more potential residents and business to Kershaw. Owners say they are not willing to let their small town die under the weight of rising gasoline prices.

But the forces opposing this small town may be too great. Elderly residents are suffering from a lack of services that have sustained them in the past and the inability to get the medicine they need. Families have changed their home life to deal with the cost of gasoline and make ends meet. Children are exposed to summer heat without reprieve. Young workers are moving away.

Many residents of Kershaw are realizing they cannot afford to live the way they always have.

Ann Marie Dwyer was named co-winner of this month's citizen journalism contest from OneWorld.net and Helium.com, which asked: "How are people in your part of the world coping with the increasing cost of oil?" The other co-winner, Preetvy Ramasamy, explained how people are handling the situation on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. Other entries described the situation and coping mechanisms in Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and across the United States.

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