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 Killeen 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: Killeen
- Address: 3007 E Central Texas Expressway, Suite 104, Killeen, TX 76543
MOD Pizza: West Temple
- Address: 7075 W. Adams Ave, Suite 100, Temple, TX 76502
MOD Pizza: Temple
- Address: 2102 S 31st St, Suite 160, Temple, TX 76504
Central Texas 4c
- Address: 504 N 5th St, Temple, TX 76501
MOD Pizza: Leander
- Address: 19388 Ronald W. Reagan Blvd. #600, Georgetown, TX 78628
MOD Pizza: Wolf Ranch Town Center
- Address: 1003 W University Ave, Suite 125, Georgetown, TX 78628
Helping Hands of Georgetown
- Address: 1100 Thousand Oaks Blvd, Georgetown, TX 78628
MOD Pizza: Cedar Park
- Address: 4807 183-A Toll Rd, Suite 104, Cedar Park, TX 78613
MOD Pizza: Hutto
- Address: 210 Ed Schmidt Blvd, Suite 600, Hutto, TX 78634
Derrick's Barbershop
- Address: 601 E Whitestone Blvd, Unit 404, Cedar Park, TX 78613
PRSINC1
- Address: 400 Cypress Creek Rd., Cedar Park, TX 78613
Cedar Park Townhomes-Leasing Office
- Address: 400 E. Cyress Creek Rd., Cedar Park, TX 78613
Portfolio Resident Services
- Address: 400 CR 137, Hutto, 78634, TX, Hutto, TX 78634
MOD Pizza: Anderson Mill
- Address: 11521 N Ranch to Market 620, Suite 450, Austin, TX 78726
MOD Pizza: Round Rock South
- Address: 119 Louis Henna Blvd. Suite #101, Round Rock, TX 78664