No one should go cold this winter! The health effects of extreme cold are life threatening. The unprecedented crisis created by the COVID-19 Pandemic is affecting the lives of millions of people. Families who were already struggling are now at severe risk, and many cannot pay their utility bills. The need for coats this fall and winter will be greater than ever before!
Approximately 200,000 people die each year from the cold. Children cannot regulate their body temperatures as adults do. They can quickly develop hypothermia without protection from the cold. Cold weather makes the body work harder, putting stress on the heart to ensure the body stays warm. A previous study found up to a 31% increase in heart attacks in the coldest months of the year compared with the warmest. Exposure to cold predisposes people, especially children, to infections like pneumonia.
CHILDREN IN NEED
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 1 in 5 children in America was living in poverty. American children are overrepresented among the nation’s poor: prior to the pandemic, 41% of all children were living in low-income households.
FAMILIES IN NEED
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 39 million Americans were living in poverty. To date, over 40 million Americas have applied for unemployment. For poor families and individuals, the winter months are more expensive and present a bigger strain on their budget.
VETERANS IN NEED
More than 1.5 million veterans were living in poverty before the pandemic began. The poverty rate of veterans is nearing 7% and growing each year. Before the pandemic, over 30% of veterans between the ages of 18 and 24 were unemployed.
SENIORS IN NEED
Before the pandemic, 1 in 3 senior households could barely pay their monthly bills, with no money left over. Over 25 million Americans aged 60+ were living at or below the federal poverty level before the economic crisis created by the pandemic. These older adults struggle with rising housing and health care bills, inadequate nutrition, lack of access to transportation, diminished savings, and job loss.
On November 5, the Greater Princeton Branch of AYLUS (GPA) started its annual Winter Clothing Drive. Our mission is to provide free clothes to people in need. GPA member Alissa Wu (11/5, 3 hrs to make the flyer) proposes this project and leads on it along with AYLUS National and GPA President Cassie Tammy Wang (11/6, 2 hrs to have the flyer revised) and GPA Vice President Fengqi Wen.
All GPA members are taking part in this clothing drive by promoting donations of winter clothes in their communities, which go to designated locations in Princeton, Montgomery, West Windsor-Plainsboro and more by November 22, 2020.
Winter Clothing Drive Participants: Casie Tammy Wang (11/6, 1 hr), Alissa Wu (11/7, 1 hr), Fengqi Wen (11/7, 1 hr), Xinyi Christine Zhang (11/7, 1 hr), Xiangcheng Ying (11/7, 1 hr), Steven Li (11/8, 1 hr), Ian Xie (11/7, 1 hr), Ethan Xie (11/7, 1 hr), Cosner Yang (11/7, 1 hr), Steven Chi (11/7, 1 hr), Andy Chi (11/7, 1 hr), Nicole Liu (11/7, 1 hr), Sarah Liu (11/7, 1 hr), Shannon Liu (11/7, 1 hr), Yugong Ismay Wang (11/7, 1 hr).
DONATE CLOTHES and SAVE A LIFE!
