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CHARLOTTE – On any given morning, around 175 families will be standing in line for hours outside Crisis Assistance Ministry, looking for help.

They've been braving below-normal temperatures for the entire month of February in Charlotte, and officials know all too well as the mercury drops, their work load rises.

“Whether you use electricity or natural gas to heat your home, the amount of energy it takes to keep your home warm during these cold, severe winter days, it really takes a lot,” said Doug Hartjes, chief philanthropy chair with Crisis Assistance Ministry.

Because of the cold temperatures, he says the nonprofit is preparing for a dramatic increase in people asking for help paying their heating bills.

“They can get you food, they can get you lights, they can get you gas, they can pay your rent and they're really nice people. They'll work with you," said Delores Joyner, who visited the ministry for the second time Tuesday.

Hartjes says the agency is seeing a 100 percent increase in the number of people seeking assistance compared to two years ago.

On an average day, the ministry helps 50 families who have already had their utilities cut off and 23 that are expecting their utilities to be cut off that day.

Last year, the agency prevented eviction and loss of utilities for more than 27,000 households in Mecklenburg County.