Coat drives near Colorado Springs
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 Colorado Springs 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.
Springs Rescue Mission
- Address: 5 W Las Vegas St, Colorado Springs, CO 80903
MOD Pizza: Creekwalk
- Address: 160 E. Cheyenne Road, Suite 100, Colorado Springs, CO 80906
MOD Pizza: S. Academy Highlands
- Address: 4465 Venetucci Blvd, Suite 130, Colorado Springs, CO 80906
MOD Pizza: Falcon Landing
- Address: 7447 N Academy Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80920
MOD Pizza: Dublin Commons
- Address: 5925 Dublin Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80923
MOD Pizza: Polaris Pointe
- Address: 13461 Bass Pro Dr, Suite 100, Colorado Springs, CO 80921
Charles Ruffin's Coat Drive
- Address: 10202 Boulder Ridge Dr, Peyton, CO 80831
MOD Pizza: Castle Rock
- Address: 4989 Factory Shops Blvd, Castle Rock, CO 80108
Pueblo Shelter (SafeSide Foundation)
- Address: 728 W 4th St, Pueblo, CO 81003
Pueblo District 60 - Beulah Heights Elementary
- Address: 2670 Delphinium St, Pueblo, CO 81005
MOD Pizza: Highlands Ranch
- Address: 3622 E Highlands Ranch Pkwy, Highlands Ranch, CO 80126
MOD Pizza: Crown Point
- Address: 18300 Cottonwood Dr, Suite 111, Parker, CO 80138
MOD Pizza: Park Meadows
- Address: 8225 S Chester #103, Centennial, CO 80112
Hawthorne Acupuncture
- Address: 6551 S Revere Pkwy, Suite 235, Centennial CO 80111
MOD Pizza: Forest Trace
- Address: 23890 E Smoky Hill Rd, Suite 10, Aurora, CO 80016
