Coat drives near Ann Arbor
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 Ann Arbor 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.
Shelter Association of Washtenaw County
- Address: 312 W. Huron St., Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Polished Edge
- Address: 1882 W. Stadium Blvd., Ann Arbor, MI 48108
J.Crew - Ann Arbor
- Address: 242 Briarwood Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48108
MOD Pizza: Brighton
- Address: 8605 W Grand River Ave, Brighton, MI 48116
Kietaa's Kitchen
- Address: 2669 S Wayne Rd, Westland, Mi 48186
Oakland County Youth Educational Services
- Address: 39555 Orchard Hill Place, Suite 600, Novi, MI 48375
Michigan Storage Centers - Farmington Hills
- Address: 39000 Grand River Ave, Farmington Hills, Mi 48335
MOD Pizza: DTW Airport
- Address: MOD Detroit Airport, 601 William G Rogell Dr., Detroit, MI 48242
Womack Temple CME Church
- Address: 28445 Cherry St, Inkster, MI 48141
MOD Pizza: Livonia
- Address: 13229 Middlebelt Rd, Livonia, MI 48150
Lands' End-Novi 43520 West Oaks Drive Novi
- Address: MI 48377
Launch Novi
- Address: 44255 W. Twelve Mile Rd, Novi, Michigan, 48377
New Hope Assembly of God
- Address: 14000 Racho Blvd, Taylor, MI 48180
Akwa Ibom State Association Michigan Chapter
- Address: 23005 Kristy Lane, Southfield, MI 48033
Enriching Young Minds
- Address: 8203 Fielding St, Detroit, MI 48228