Last year, winter brought long stretches of snowfalls and below-freezing temperatures, leaving many people scrambling to find money to pay their heating bills. Workers at Catholic Charities said on Tuesday they had already been flooded with calls from people who don't want to be in the same boat again this winter.

"I have a stack of calls to return, and we already have about 20 people scheduled to come in next week when we start doing oil assistance," said Dawn Karsaba, a caseworker with Catholic Charities.

She said it's encouraging that people who know they'll need help this winter are getting a jump-start now, but this year, the charity doesn't have the $30,000 in federal stimulus money that aided so many people last year.

"Right off the bat, that's a lot of people we're not going to be able to help. We're doing our best with donations and agency money, but the federal dollars just aren't there," Karsaba said.

She reminded people to get their Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, applications in. People who qualify for LIHEAP can get $300 in heating help. In addition, this year, if someone in a home is older than 60, younger than 5 or disabled, qualifying people will automatically get an additional $100.

However, Karsaba said, with so many applications, seeing that money can be a slow process.

"There are already workers at the LIHEAP office, so they are starting to work on those applications already. So, send them in early," she said.

People who received LIHEAP benefits last year should have already received an application to apply again. There is also another batch of mailings going out this week. For people who haven't' received LIHEAP benefits in the past, they can apply starting Nov. 1.

For more information, call 866-857-7095.