Coat drives near Columbus, Georgia
For the first time since 2010, the poverty rate in America shot up dramatically in 2022, according to data from the Census Bureau. That means more Americans can't afford basic needs like food, clothing, shelter, and utilities than has been the case in more than a decade.
But the situation isn't just affecting Americans living in poverty. United Way uses the term ALICE to refer to the increasing number of people who are asset-limited, income-constrained, and employed but are still not able to afford their basic needs. In 2021, 13% of Americans earned below the federal poverty level but many more, 29%, fell under the ALICE umbrella, according to the grassroots movement United for ALICE.
A study published in August 2022 from Brandeis University found that more than 75% of low-income families working full-time cannot cover the cost of basic needs. What's more, fewer than 1 in 5 low-income Hispanic and Black families in particular are able to afford the costs of a household budget. "Full-time work alone isn't enough to cover the everyday essentials most families need to support themselves," the study's lead author, Pamela Joshi, who holds a doctorate in social policy, said in a statement.
If you're looking for ways to help, particularly as the temperatures drop and the holidays approach, consider cleaning out your closet and donating a coat to those in need. To help point you in the right direction, Stacker compiled a list of coat drives near Columbus using data from One Warm Coat, a nonprofit that provides free coats to children and adults in need across America. Since 1992, they've given out more than 7.85 million coats.
"This is one very small way to take a step forward and do something very tangible," One Warm Coat CEO Beth Amodio told USA Today in October 2023. "It's impossible to change the world. But it is possible to change one person's experience, one person at a time."
Read on to find out where you can contribute.
New Horizons Behavioral Health
- Address: 2100 Comer Ave, Columbus, GA 31907
Apple Moving
- Address: 4949 Schatulga Rd, Columbus, GA 31907
Destinasion Divas
- Address: 952 Law Dr, Auburn, AL 36830
Bloom Our Youth
- Address: 150 Marquis Dr, Fayetteville, GA 30214
I Am Legacy PTCA Inc
- Address: 700 N Slappey Blvd, Albany, GA 31701-3001
Dare to Empower, Inc.
- Address: 520 Family Cir, Jonesboro, GA 30238
Apple Moving
- Address: 670 Guy Paine Rd, Macon, GA 31206
Trinity Vision Global Inc
- Address: 515 Myrtle St, Warner Robins, GA 31093
First Choice Primary Care
- Address: 400 Poplar Street, Macon, GA 31201
Restoration Community Ministries
- Address: 3057 Walt Stephen'S Rd, Jonesboro, GA 30236
Blessings Working Together
- Address: Please Email Or Call., Douglasville, GA 30135
Eugene and Scilla Rice Ministries
- Address: Po Box 490875, Atlanta, GA 30349
Mission on the Move Ministries Inc
- Address: 3945 Yeager Rd, Douglasville, GA 30135
Positive Transition Services, Inc.
- Address: 3645 Marketplace Blvd, Atlanta, GA 30344
Rainey Day Fund
- Address: 3548 Pine Grove Drive, Douglasville, GA 30135
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Jaimie Etkin, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 395 metros.