“Tacoma’s DonationDepot.com recently added Project Need to its listings of non-profit organizations that the community can make donations to.Project Need is a fund that helps low-income Tacoma Power customers pay their electric bills, as one of the company’s NPO Spotlight Members. This means that Project Need can now receive donations online through DonationDepot.com. Because of the current energy crisis in the western United States, power costs are expected to increase by more than 40 percent in the Tacoma area, said Brandon Fix, president and CEO of DonationDepot.comBy providing Project Need with another means to raise funds, we hope to help offset some of these increased costs and ultimately contribute to the well-being of Tacoma Power customers who live below the poverty level.Project Need is a fund of last resort that Tacoma Power set up in 1983 to help families in need pay their electric bills. It provides emergency grants of up to $200 to low-income power customers who have exhausted all other resources. Assistance is provided once in a two-year period. Customers must be at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level. Tacoma Power matches every donation to Project Need by 200 percent, which means that every dollar donated will result in an extra $3 to help low-income residents stay warm. Donations to Project Need are tax-deductible.Project Need has been a valuable safety net for the community since it began in 1983, said Julie Dahlen, who administers the program for Tacoma Power. Today, in the face of the energy crisis, it’s more important than ever. We are grateful for donations of any size.To contribute to Project Need, donors visit www.donationdepot.com, click on Member Charities, select Project Need from the alphabetical menu, then enter the amount of the donation. Donors who have not yet given through DonationDepot.com will be asked to fill out a short registration form and select a means of online payment. DonationDepot.com is also helping Project Need with the development of their own web site. Once it’s completed, donors will be able to give from the group’s own web site, as well as through DonationDepot.com. All donations made through the DonationDepot.com network are protected by the company’s secure server and a VeriSign certificate. DonationDepot.com is a vertical portal and application service provider for the philanthropy industry. The company’s main focus is educating consumers on the financial and tax benefits of charitable giving. They also offer secure online donating, volunteer matching, and other services to help consumers make the most of charitable donations.Contact DonationDepot.com at 253/593-4483, or Julie Dahlen, contract administrator for Project Need at 253/502-8538 with any questions about the project. “