Project Share receives grant from Kootenai Electric

Some Kootenai County residents will have a warmer winter this year with help from a grant program in Coeur d’Alene.

Project Share, an energy assistance program through Community Action Partnership in Coeur d’Alene, received a $10,000 grant for the last two years from Kootenai Electric Cooperative as part of its Operation Round Up program.

“We’re just incredibly fortunate to have such good community support for this program,” said Kim Lang, service coordinator for the Kootenai County agency.

Project Share helps families in danger of losing their heat during winter months because of tight finances.

Last year Kootenai Electric started donating grants as part of it’s Operation Round Up program. Operation Round Up pools money from its members’ electric bills by rounding up to the next highest dollar and collecting the rounded amount.

A typical member of Kootenai Electric donates 50 cents to the pool each month, or about $6 a year. The funds are donated through grants to meet food, clothing, shelter and medical needs in the area.

This year, Kootenai Electric gave $36,940.17, bringing total grant contributions to $95,227.67 in the program’s two-year history.

Twelve grants were awarded on Nov. 17, ranging from nearly $800 to $2,500. The grants will be used for everything from roofing materials at Pleasentview Community Association to lodging at the Walden House for Kootenai Medical Center outpatients and books for the Hayden Meadows Elementary School Library.

The $10,000 for Project Share will help to pay heating bills in Kootenai County.

Lang said the program is in “extremely high demand.” The agency gets support through the Kootenai Electric grants, Avista grants and private donations.

Lang and a co-worker are busy sifting through Project Share applications full-time at 4942 Industrial Ave. E. in Coeur d’Alene. The office is open year-round, but the energy assistance program is seasonal and usually starts in December. Now, the phone lines are typically jammed and there’s always a line of people in need.

The funds are flexible and can be used for any source of heat, from electric bills to wood-burning stoves. Some people only need $75 or $80, but benefits can reach up to $200 if needed.

Those accepting grants from Project Share attend a one-hour energy conservation class. The class gives tips on saving money during winter months, such as how to weatherize a house or how to work with a utility company to prevent power from being shut off.

“We try to involve a lot of education in every program that we offer,” Lang said.

Community Action Partnership is a private nonprofit agency based in Lewiston and provides a safety net for people who might fall through the cracks of federal or state aid, she said.

Lang said with many people going into a layoff season, the need for extra help hits a peak during winter months. Some families apply for help each year if they get laid off and typically have to catch up in the spring and summer.

She said many applicants are two-income households making minimum wage.

“It’s not that they’re not trying, it’s just not easy to do,” Lang said.

She said the agency also has seen several seniors recently who are making hard choices between taking medications or paying medical bills and buying food.

Last week, a woman entered her office and asked for help for the first time in her life. She started to cry because she couldn’t cover her bills because of medical expenses and she stopped taking prescribed medication.

“Those are things we don’t want to see happen,” she said. “Project share fills in those gaps so they don’t have to make those decisions.”

The next round of grant applications from Kootenai Electric are due before Feb. 1 and applications are available at the Kootenai Electric office at 2451 W. Dakota Ave. in Hayden or online at www.kec.com.