If you're a gallon of heating oil, your worth has multiplied six-fold in the last 10 years.

But you've lost a lot of friends along the way, including a couple from Cedar who were waiting in line Monday in the narthex of Suttons Bay Immanuel Lutheran Church.

They were waiting to talk with representatives of the Neighbor Assistance Ministry, a program run by the Leelanau Christian Neighbors organization that was created to help residents get through tough times.

And tough times are falling upon more and more Leelanau County residents, according to people who help run assistance programs, with the worse still ahead as home heating prices go through the roof.

Leading the price spike is heating oil, which according to the Michigan Public Service Commission rose to an all-time average high of $3.13 per gallon this week.

"We're doing everything we can possibly do to save as much as we can," said the Cedar woman. The names of the couple are not being used in this story.

They reside in an older trailer that under normal conditions would leak heat like water through a strainer. But they’ve covered 14 of 15 windows with insulation and plastic — leaving one window open for sanity and ventilation purposes — and even draped a blanket over the back door.

The couple was hoping to receive a grant from Neighbor Assistance Ministry to help them fill their heating oil tank. The cost to fill the tank: $580.

"Right now, I'm on empty, and I am the only one working and I work at a fast food (restaurant)," the woman said.

The previous week’s clients could walk right into a room in which representatives of the ministry ask enough questions to determine their level of need, and make suggestions as to how to climb onto better financial ground. But the lobby was full Monday, and somewhat hectic with the sounds of young children waiting with their parents.

Barb Graves, treasurer of Leelanau Christian Neighbors, said the non-profit and non-denominational organization has been filling requests for grants as quickly as they come in. She expects demand to increase as winter weather squeezes fuel tanks.

"We're basically keeping (up), which is hard when you have that much need. But the county has been very good to us," Graves said. In the first six months of 2006, the organization donated $3,800 toward home heating costs.

Requests for help paying electric bills before service is shut off may have increased even more than heating oil need — for a reason, she added.

"Some of the people are heating their homes electrically. When they run out of fuel, they turn on their oven to heat their home," said Graves.

Residents of Leelanau County who have fallen on hard times have few places to turn (see list on front page of this section), and right now one less than a year ago. The Northwest Michigan Human Services organization, which serves a 10-county area including Leelanau, is flat out of funds to help families meet home heating needs.

"We're already getting a lot of calls," said Kris Brady, who said these are the toughest times she has seen in her 16 years with the agency. "We don't currently have any funds … everything is held up. There is not much we can do now, it's really tough."

The organization relies on state grants to help needy residents pay heating bills. But a grant expected to be received Oct. 1 was held up by an executive order issued by Gov. Jennifer Granholm, and another grant expected Nov. 1 was subsequently delayed while lawmakers and Granholm sought to fix the state budget crisis.

"We're waiting for some grants to come through. So we wait," said Brady.

As home heating costs have increased, so has the upper limit of grants provided by Northwest Michigan Human Services. Brady has observed grant limits increase from $175 to $250, and recently to $500. "And we are often asking for exceptions," she added.

One reason for the climbing grant ceiling is that oil companies require a minimum purchase to cover the cost of driving their tankers to residences.

Residents in need may also contact the Grand Traverse and Leelanau Department of Human Services, a branch of state government offering assistance including grants and food stamps.

While the tendency might be to blame local oil companies for the spike in prices, Graves praised the effort of Busby Oil & Propane. She said the company provided Leelanau Christian Neighbors with its lowest prices for needy families.

Sheila Wick, who is often the person answering phone calls at Busby, keeps a list of organizations that can help if a customer lacks funds to pay for heating oil or propane.

She has a separate list of customers ready to pitch in when one of their neighbors is in need.

"I have some of our customers who are very generous, wonderful people. They say, 'I want to help,’" said Wick.

In more and more cases, help is needed.