Clay County Utility donation Lend-A-Helping-Hand assistance program

Using generous donations from the community, the Lend-A-Helping-Hand can help households that receive their services from Clay County Utility. The program was created in joint effort with organizations around the county as well as the Board of Supervisors in an effort to help those that are struggling, and the funds can be used to prevent a shut off of utility and electric services.

People and businesses from across Clay County can donate to the Lend-A-Helping-Hand program, and in some cases there may be matching funds from the county or other groups in an effort to increase the effectiveness of those donations. The person who contributes will also receive a state and federal tax benefit for doing so, and their contribution will not be used for paying any administrative costs.

Clay County Utility works with non-profits across the region in order to administrate the program and ensure the funds are allocated where most needed. There will only be assistance for bills provided to people with a short term, emergency crisis. Other conditions include they need to be senior citizens, have an income level below the poverty guidelines, and be facing a one time crisis. Lend-A-Helping-Hand is not meant to assist people that are chronically seeking help or facing poverty.

It can pay for a variety of utility bills, if approved to do so in advance, and there may even be help for non-electric costs, such as water bills. Any assistance is only offered at most once per year, and in limited quantities as well, usually at most $350 per qualified household. However that amount will depend on donations from the community and many other factors as well.

Working with groups across the region, the Clay County Utility Authority and other groups both collect donations and review applications. All information is closely assessed and reviewed, and based on the results of that process, there may be assistance for utilities disbursed to qualified low income or struggling families.

 

 

 

 

All donations go to helping people in the community. So those who contribute could in effect be helping a low income family facing a crisis, a senior citizen, or maybe a family with children keep their power or utilities on. All administrative costs are paid by Clay County Utility Authority, as they will print the forms that are used to collect money from the community and provide other forms of support services too. So therefore all of the money will go to help needy customers and lower income families in the region.

The program is limited in scope, and there may only be a few dozen families helped per year. The average amount paid out to those individuals also averages around $100 per household, so it is limited in scope and availability.

To contribute money, any dollar amount is appreciated. Just complete an enrollment form, donate online, or call a local non-profit organization. The main number to call to apply or donate is (877) 476-2282.