Coat drives near Dover
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 Dover 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.
Dover First Seventh-day Adventist Church
- Address: 647 Wyoming Avenue, Dover, DE 19904
Milford High School
- Address: 1019 N Walnut St, Milford, DE 19963
Starbucks
- Address: 454 E Main St, Middletown, DE 19709
WSFS Bank
- Address: 400 E Main St, Middletown, DE 19709
Namaste For Life
- Address: 22 W. Main Street, Middletown, DE 19709
Megan Aitken Office
- Address: 110 W Main St, Middletown, DE 19709
Chick-fil-a
- Address: 701 S Ridge Ave, Middletown, DE 19709
Caribbean Culture Awareness
- Address: 600 North Broad Street, Middletown, DE 19709
Church without Walls
- Address: 13313 Mullica Drive, Ellendale, DE 19841
Just a Hand Up Community Navigation Association
- Address: 12603 Nat Turner St, Bridgeville, DE 19933
Church World Service - Delaware
- Address: 20306 Harbeson Rd, Harbeson, DE 19951
Focusing on Families, Inc.
- Address: 23 Country Ln, Newark, DE 19702
Lands' End-Newark 3168 Fashion Center Boulevard Newark
- Address: DE 19702
Abbas Safe Haven
- Address: 23 Auburn Dr, New Castle, DE 19720
Women of Exception
- Address: 101 Mederia Cir, Newark, DE 19702