Cathy Jenkins went to three agencies before she found help reconnecting her gas.

She eventually got financial assistance through First Baptist Church's community missions program. How much will be there for her and others who might need help this winter with their energy bills is a question agencies that provide relief are unable to answer.

Natural gas prices are projected to climb 29 percent this winter compared to the same time last year, costing consumers in the South an average of $975 to heat their homes, according to the Energy Information Administration.

But those families in need of help might hit a wall when reaching out to energy assistance agencies, said Janet Joseph, the executive director for Heating Energy Assistance Team, which gives funds to energy assistance programs statewide.

A smaller pool of donations because of the economic downturn will make it hard for energy assistance agencies to meet an expected increase in demand, she said.

HEAT gave out $700,000 last winter, but only reached a third of the people in need, Ms. Joseph said.

"We're not anywhere near what we raised last year," Ms. Joseph said. "Since we haven't collected the amount we did last year, there will be clients that will go unserved."

Catholic Social Services, which provides energy assistance to Augusta families, has seen a 50 percent decrease in donations, said executive director Rick Tuchscherer.

"Everybody's feeling the crunch, including those who donate," he said. "We're hoping things will pick up by Thanksgiving."

Richmond County received more than $32,000 of the HEAT funds last year, said Pat Johnson, the energy coordinator for the CSRA Economic Opportunity Authority, which serves 13 counties including Richmond County.

Ms. Johnson's organization has doled out more than $1.3 million in energy assistance since last winter, and served 5,559 families.

There were still 1,600 names on the waiting list as of late August, Ms. Johnson said. She's hoping the growing waiting list for energy assistance will help expand the help that EOA receives from the Georgia Public Service Commission.

"With high oil and natural gas going up, someone who had a (monthly) $70 bill may pay twice that," she said. "They can't afford to pay for gas two or three times a week, put food on the table and pay utilities."

The summer's series of hurricanes factor into the expected higher gas bills, said William Trapmann, an EIA industry economist.

A handful of oil refineries, containing more than 1.2 million barrels of oil, still remain without power after Hurricane Ike hit more than two weeks ago, according to the U.S. Energy Department.

First Baptist serves 36 families each Tuesday morning, and 15 families each Tuesday afternoon with food and financial assistance, said Kelly Hamilton, the minister of missions for the church. Most families need energy assistance, and the number of families they helped does not account for all those in need.

"We've been at capacity since July," he said. "We usually slow down after Christmas, but I think we're just going to keep going this Christmas it looks like."

People such as Ms. Jenkins know what it's like facing a winter of dread.

"It's rough. I cried many days and nights, because I can't pay my bills," said Ms. Jenkins, who receives disability financial assistance. "I just don't have it. I can't stand being in a cold house."