Coat Drives Near Champaign

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Coat drives near Champaign

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 Champaign 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.

MOD Pizza: Bloomingdale Court
- Address: 370 W Army Trail Rd, Bloomingdale, IN 60108

MOD Pizza: Terre Haute
- Address: 3580 S US Hwy 41, Terre Haute, IN 47802

Agape Community Outreach Mission
- Address: 196 S Harrison Ave, Kankakee, IL 60901

Poah Communitites
- Address: 200 N. Crestlane Dr, Kankakee, IL 60901

Lutheran Child and Family Services
- Address: 400 S 9th St Suite 202, Springfield, IL 62701

Neighborhood House
- Address: 1020 S Matthew St, Peoria, IL 61605

Whole Life Solutions
- Address: 4211 N. Prospect Rd, Peoria Heights, IL 61616

JC's Place Ministries
- Address: 2408 Smithville Road, Smithville, ON L0R 2A0

Avenue Family Dentistry
- Address: 320 E Commercial Ave, Lowell IN 46356

Hope and Divine Purpose Transitional Living Home
- Address: 134 E Cass St, Joliet, IL 60432

Kreative Kinnectionz Youth Outreach Inc.
- Address: 4137 Sauk Trl Ste 116, Richton Park, IL 60471