Alabama residents can receive cooling bill assistance.

Help is normally available starting in July and continues through the end of August, and aid distributed depends greatly on whether money is available from the Project Share utility bill assistance program, which is a nonprofit group that works with Huntsville Utilities.

Unfortunately is is looking more and more likely that The Project Share program is almost out of money to distribute and it won't be able to help struggling or poor families with utility or cooling bills this summer, officials of the program said.

This past winter was very cold, and when combined with the TVA energy rate increases, the two have depleted the available funds for Project Share assistance.

Help with summer cooling bills has been provided over 10 ten times since the 1990s.

On average, several hundred families will receive aid.

The program is looking for donations to keep running.

Customers can check a box on their utility bills to donate an extra amount to help people in need and others who fall short on their monthly bills.

Right now only about 2 percent of customers contribute.

Sadly, the donations just aren't there now, especially with the weak economy.

This is per the executive director of Care Assurance for the Aging and Homebound and the person also serves as a Project Share board member.

If you are able to donate to project share to help those in need, just check off the amount you'd like to donate on your Huntsville monthly utility bill.