El Paso Electric Project Care utility donations

Each year, money is donated to Project Care, which is an assistance program available to income qualified customers of El Paso Electric. All of the funds raised go to help hundreds of families with their utility bills, and it will assist with emergencies and one time crisis events.

The donation program is available across the companies entire service area, and any business, private individual, or employee can donate to it. In fact, El Paso Electric will hold annual events and reminders for the general public to try to encourage contributions, as without the help of the public or local businesses, Project Care would not exist.

Any dollar amount can be contributed, and all of the money will go directly to qualified low income families that are in a crisis situation. For those that donate, they more than likely will receive a tax deduction, but they can check with their accountant.

Money can be donated in many different fashions. El Paso Electric will accept one time contributions, or people can contribute monthly on their statements. Businesses can contribute, or other private individuals. Interested customers can contribute to Project Care when paying their electric bills by just  checking a donation box on the bills, and then they can fill in the amount. So the process is simple.

There are also instances in which the provider will give matching grants to try to scale up Project Care, and when this occurs the number of people assisted will be even greater. So shareholders from EPE will try to match their donation dollar-for-dollar.

This shows a committed from the company to assist the less fortunate. While the matching grants are available in most years, it is limited and it still does not meet the demand for assistance.

When seeking help for a utility bill, note that Project Care is for a financial emergency only. It is not something that people can continue to apply to multiple times over the years, and a focus is on seniors as well as people that are most vulnerable.

 

 

 

 

Applications will need to be sent to El Paso County General Assistance, and each will be closely scrutinized. Because the program does rely on donations, the amount of people that can be assisted, and the dollar amounts involved, will be small. Many applications will need to be rejected.

If a customer does not qualify for EPE Project Care, then other options and payment plans will be explored with the family. To learn more or to apply for assistance, people should dial (915) 546-8150 or (575) 523-1639.