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 Spokane 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: Downtown Spokane
- Address: 707 W Main Ave, Suite A-12, Spokane, WA 99201
Union Gospel Mission - Spokane
- Address: 1224 E Trent Ave, Spokane, WA 99202
Parkview Early Learning Center
- Address: 5122 N Division Street, Spokane, WA 99207
MOD Pizza: Shadle Center
- Address: 2503 W Wellesley Ave, Building C, Suite 104, Spokane, WA 99205
MOD Pizza: South Hill
- Address: 3104 E Palouse Hwy, Spokane, WA 99223
MOD Pizza: The Y
- Address: 9405 N. Newport Hwy, Suite 200, Spokane, WA 99218
MOD Pizza: Airway Heights
- Address: 9746 W. Sunset Hwy, Suite A, Spokane, WA 99224
MOD Pizza: Coeur d'Alene
- Address: 2824 N Ramsey Rd, Suite 105, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83815
MOD Pizza: Moscow
- Address: 710 W Pullman Rd, Moscow, ID 83843
Idaho Institute of Christian Education / The Center
- Address: 822 Elm Street, Moscow, ID 83843
MOD Pizza: Lewiston
- Address: 600 21st St, Lewiston, ID 83501
Northwest Children's Home
- Address: 419 22nd Ave., Lewiston, ID 83501
MOD Pizza: Walla Walla
- Address: 1658 W Poplar St, Suite 101, Walla Walla, WA 99362
Tri City Union Gospel Mission
- Address: 221 S 4th Ave, Pasco, WA 99301
MOD Pizza: Pasco
- Address: 5326 Road 68, Suite 101, Pasco, WA 99301
