Coat drives near Elizabethtown

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 Elizabethtown 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.

Helping Hand of Hope
- Address: 6796 S Wilson Road, Elizabethtown, KY 42701

Heartland Christian Center
- Address: 124 Ditto Ln, Vine Grove, KY 40175

Prayer Changes Things Ministry ♻️
- Address: 6714 Carribean Ln, Louisville, KY 40219

KY Race Track Chaplaincy
- Address: 700 Central Ave, Louisville, KY 40208

Play Cousins Collective
- Address: 2600 W Broadway Ste 208, Louisville, KY 40211

Catholic Charities of Louisville
- Address: 435 E Broadway, Louisville, KY 40202

The Healing Place
- Address: 1020 W Market Street, Louisville, KY 40202

3rd District Constable Office
- Address: 4018 W. Market St,. Louisville, KY 40212

OVEC Head Start/ Early Head Start/ CCP
- Address: 100 Alpine Dr, Shelbyville, KY 40065

Curbside Ministries
- Address: 600 US 31-W Bypass, STE 18-D, Bowling Green, KY 42101

Sydney Rivers Missy Brown CSC Coat Drive
- Address: 400 E Main St, Frankfort, KY 40601

Feed My Sheep Food Pantry
- Address: 118 S Main Street, Burkesville, KY 42717

Daniel Pitino Family Shelter and St Benedicts Shelter
- Address: 501 Walnut Street, Owensboro, KY 42301

Lexington Rescue Mission
- Address: 535 W Second St, Lexington, KY 40508

Lighthouse Ministries
- Address: 190 Spruce St, Lexington, KY 40507