As requests for energy assistance continue to come in from struggling families this winter, Operation Fuel is seeking donations to help meet the need.

The fuel bank in Pawcatuck, in particular, has been receiving a lot of requests for help this winter, Karen Paterno, spokeswoman for Operation Fuel, said Tuesday.

“When people turn to Operation Fuel for help, we usually are their last resort,” Operation Fuel Executive Director Patricia Wrice said in a news release. “There’s no other safety net for them. So if we can’t help, they usually don’t get the energy assistance that they desperately need.”

Last year, United Way of Connecticut’s 2-1-1 line referred over 11,500 callers to Operation Fuel for energy assistance. Operation Fuel, a private, nonprofit program, is the only statewide emergency energy assistance program in Connecticut; assistance is provided through its statewide network of over 100 fuel banks. Most recipients are either elderly or working families with children.

Through mid-February of this year, Operation Fuel already had committed to give out more than $2 million in energy assistance to Connecticut households.

“If Operation Fuel can raise more money through donations, then we will be able to help more households,” Wrice said.

The maximum annual grant is $500 per household.

Donations for Operation Fuel can be sent to: Operation Fuel, One Regency Drive, Suite 200, Bloomfield, CT 06002 or made at: www.operationfuel.org.

Those needing emergency energy assistance from Operation Fuel should call 211.