Coat drives near Ithaca
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 Ithaca 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.
Women's Opportunity Center
- Address: 315 North Tioga St, Ithaca, NY 14850
Salvation Army - Binghamton
- Address: 131 Washington St, Binghamton, NY 13901
Stacy's Children's Clothes Closet
- Address: 3 W Washington St, Bath, NY 14810
Family Promise of Wayne County
- Address: 301 South Main Street PO Box 165, Newark, NY 14513
Community Cares
- Address: 12 North St. PO Box 575, St. Catharines, Ontario, ON L2P1X8
Monroe Plan for Medical Care
- Address: 1120 Pittsford Victor Rd, Pittsford, NY 14534
Monarch Wealth Management
- Address: 1688 Monroe Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618
Lands' End-Rochester 2000 Miracle Mile Dr Rochester
- Address: NY 14623
413 Church
- Address: 131 Chestnut Street, Rochester, NY 14604
Women in Need - NYC
- Address: 1 State St Fl 18, New York, NY 10004
Open Door Mission - Rochester
- Address: 156 Plymouth Ave N, Rochester, NY 14608
Cameron Community
- Address: 48 Cameron St, Rochester, NY 14606
St Paul Blvd. Fire Association
- Address: 433 Cooper rd, Rochester, NY 14617
Saint Francis of Assisi Kitchen and Food and Clothing Pantry
- Address: 500 Penn Ave, Scranton, PA 18509
The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement (Scranton)
- Address: 501 S. Washington Ave, Scranton, PA 18505
