Coat drives near Port St. Lucie

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 Port St. Lucie 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.

The Salvation Army - Palm Beach County
- Address: 2100 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd, West Palm Beach, FL 33409

Church World Service - Palm Beach
- Address: 200 Congress Park Dr, Suite 201, Delray Beach, FL 33445

Homeless Coalition of Palm Beach County
- Address: 345 S Congress Ave, Delray Beach, FL 33445

RCMA South Highlands CDC
- Address: 135 Curve St, Lake Placid, FL 33852

Church World Service - Fort Lauderdale
- Address: 3215 NW 10th Terrace Suite 209B, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309

Farm Share Oakland Park
- Address: 1201 NE 38th St Ste C, Oakland Park, FL 33334

Foster Youth of America
- Address: 2570 Cypress Tree Trl, Saint Cloud, FL 34772

J.Crew - Aventura
- Address: 19501 Biscayne Blvd, Space 810, Aventura, FL 33180

All Nations Presbyterian Church
- Address: 16951 NE 4th Ave, North Miami Beach, FL 33162

Todd Snyder: Bal Harbour Shops
- Address: 9700 Collins Ave, Space 215, Bal Harbour, FL 33154

Church World Service - Orlando
- Address: 3357 W Vine St, Suite 105, Kissimmee, FL 34741

Westland Mall
- Address: 1675 West 49th Street, Hialeah, FL 33012

NUEVO COMIENZO CHURCH
- Address: 3511 Bonaire boulevard 2402 # 401-19, Kissimmee, FL 34741

Positively U, Incorporated
- Address: 320 1st St S, Winter Haven, FL 33880

Fort Myers Rescue Mission
- Address: 6900 Mission Ln, Fort Myers, FL 33916