Coat drives near Fairbanks
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 Fairbanks 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.
Downtown Hope Center
- Address: 240 E 3rd Ave, Anchorage, AK 99501
Covenant House Alaska
- Address: 755 A St, Anchorage, AK 99501
Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission
- Address: 2823 E Tudor Rd, Anchorage, AK 99507
Lake and Peninsula School District
- Address: P.O. Box 89, Iliamna, AK 99606
AVCP ICWA Department Marshall
- Address: P.O. Box 110 P.O. Box 110, MARSHALL, AK 99585
Zero Ceiling
- Address: 1519 Spring Creek Drive, Whistler, BC V0N 1B1
Helping Hands Squamish
- Address: 37871 3 Ave, Squamish, BC V81B8
MOD Pizza: Country Club Centre
- Address: 3200 Island Highway North, Nanaimo, BC, V9T 1W1 Canada
Nanaimo Family Life Association
- Address: 1070 Townsite rd, nanaimo, BC V9S1M6
Covenant House-Vancouver
- Address: 1302 Seymour Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 4K8
Westcoast Family Centres
- Address: 2780 East Broadway, Vancouver, BC V5M 1L6
Khasa Foundation
- Address: 9 Governor circle, Spruce Grove, AB T7X0M2
Hope for Freedom Society
- Address: 3237 Liverpool Street, Port Coquitlam, BC V3B 3G3
Tri-City Transitions Society
- Address: 402-2071 Kingsway Ave, Port Coquitlam, BC V3C 6N2
Phoenix Society
- Address: 13686 94A Ave, Surrey, BC V3V 1N1
