Coat drives near Erie
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 Erie 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.
Veterans Leadership Program of Western Pennsylvania (Erie)
- Address: 406 West 8Th Street, Erie, PA 16502
Veterans Leadership Program of Western Pennsylvania Inc.
- Address: 406 West 8th Street, Erie, PA 16502
Community Shelter Services
- Address: 655 W 16Th Street, erie, PA 16502
Center for Family Services, Inc.
- Address: 213 W Center St, Meadville, PA 16335
GO Community Development Corporation
- Address: 3703 Station Ave, Ashtabula, OH 44004
1170 Central Ave
- Address: Dunkirk NY 14048
Salvation Army Tillsonburg
- Address: 155 Broadway St, Tillsonburg, ON N4G5J9
Saving Grace Outreach, "Trading Post South"
- Address: 11 Washington St, Cattaraugus, NY 14719
JC's Place Ministries
- Address: 2408 Smithville Road, Smithville, ON L0R 2A0
Youngstown Blue Coats
- Address: 2654 N. Main Street, Hubbard, OH 44425
Banfi Wines at Biehler's Liquors
- Address: 141 Buffalo street, Hamburg NY 14075
Youngstown Community Food Center Inc.
- Address: 94 Pyatt Street, Youngstown, FM 44502
Good Shepherd Centres
- Address: 400 King Street West, Po Box 1003, Hamilton, ON L8N 3R1
International Institute of Buffalo
- Address: 864 Delaware Ave. Buffalo, New York, 14209
J.Crew Walden #594
- Address: 1 Walden Galleria Space #G106, Buffalo, NY, 14225
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Jaimie Etkin, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 395 metros.
