Coat drives near Omaha
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 Omaha 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.
Open Door Mission
- Address: 2828 N 23Rd St E, Omaha, NE 68110
Doubletree Omaha Southwest
- Address: 3650 S 72nd St, Omaha, NE 68124
Banfi Wines at Republic National Distributing Company Nebraska
- Address: 8648 South 117th Street, LaVista, NE 68128
Omaha Nation Public School
- Address: 58145 State Highway 35, Wakefield, NE 68784
J.Crew Jordan Creek #673
- Address: 101 Jordan Creek Parkway Space #11090, West Des Moines, IA, 50266
Urbandale Community Action Network (UCAN)
- Address: Po Box 7615, Urbandale, IA 50323
City of West Des Moines - Human Services
- Address: 139 6Th St, West Des Moines, IA 50265
EMBARC
- Address: 4801 Franklin Ave, Des Moines, IA 50310
The Bridge Home
- Address: 225 S Kellogg Ave, Ames, IA 50010
Wounded Warrior United
- Address: 3303 Valleywood Dr, Manhattan, KS 66502
Topeka Rescue Mission
- Address: 401 Nw Norris, Topeka, KS 66608
Hale Robinson & Robinson
- Address: LLC, 511 Delaware Street, Suite 100, Kansas City, MO 64105
Walgreens
- Address: 2601 S Hughes, Liberty, Mo 64068
Kansas City Kansas Public School Head Start/Early Childhood Program
- Address: 2010 N 59Th St., Kansas City, KS 66104
All in A Day's Work
- Address: 5217 N Smalley Ave, Kansas City, MO 64119
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Jaimie Etkin, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 395 metros.
