For Bucks families struggling to make ends meet Give A Christmas is a real gift

An unexpected illness or car repair can hit any family.

But for some those bills or the loss of a paycheck can be devastating to already tight family budgets. Many of these indivduals or families fall into what the United Way categorizes as ALICE, an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained and Employed.

The number of households in Bucks County in this category has risen 12.5 percent over the past two years to 27%, the United Way reports. They make too much money to fall below the poverty line and qualify for government aid, but not enough to adequately support themselves and their families should a financial problem arise, officials say.

The ongoing Bucks County Courier Times and Intelligencer's Give A Christmas drives helps many of these residents who struggle to make ends meet. Donations are being accepted now and proceeds help our nonprofit partners, the Levittown-Bristol Kiwanis Club and the Bucks County Opportunity Council, provide assistance to eligible individuals and families at the holidays.

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The growing number of ALICE households highlights the needs in Bucks County.

NIkki Farrior, impact services manager for the United Way of Bucks County, said 40 households have been helped through that nonprofit's ALICE crisis intervention program this year, but more than 60 applied, although all did not meet requirements.

The rise in the number of ALICEs in the county has a variety of causes but Farrior said that when federal programs to aid people through the pandemic ended this year, it wasn't a gradual withdrawal of assistance. They just stopped.

"All of those supports were rolled back," she said. "The people in the ALICE group didn't have time to come up with alternative ways to supplement their income. We know the support is still needed."

BCOC Executive Director Erin Lukoss also said that agency is seeing needs return to pandemic level, without the funding that was in place during COVID to assist.

The Give A Christmas drives are one way to help supplement assistance, but count on the generous support of donors to reach their goals. The drive in Lower Bucks drive, which began 65 years ago, has provided vouchers to students and families in need for everything from groceries to gifts. Local schools help coordinate the distribution.

Its goal this year is $125,000.

The Courier-Kiwanis GAC provided some 3,835 vouchers last year, helping 2,505 families with the $113,372 in donations.

Donate to Courier GAC: Help Give A Christmas to Bucks County neighbors in need

In Central and Upper Bucks, the Opportunity Council has joined with The Intelligencer to sponsor Give A Christmas. The goal this year of $165,000. Donations during the month of November marked "Share the Warmth" will be matched by First Commonwealth Bank.

Last year's Intell-BCOC GAC drive helped more than 500 families, including 1,500 individuals. Each family received an average assistance of $220 from GAC funds as well as additional support from the nonprofit and its partners

How to donate to Intell GAC: Help Give A Christmas to Central and Upper Bucks County neighbors in need

The Opportunity Council will provide support to people who make up to two-times the federal poverty limit, which for a family of four is now $30,000 a year, Lukoss said.

The council will help with rental, food, or transportation assistance, if they need a car repair or inspection.

"We evaluate the situation — what they need to help," Lukoss said. And the agency will help seniors with food boxes delivered to their home or with technology issues.

Another service the United Way, the Opportunity Council and St. Mary Medical Center support, with help from Penn Community Bank, is the HELP Center at 194 Commerce Drive in Bristol Borough.

HELP stands for Healthy Easting and Living Partnership. It provides food and household items like linens and furniture to ALICE workers and others in need, free of charge. People fill out a form available on the United Way website to apply for an appointment to visit the Help Center. Household donations are welcomed.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Give A Christmas helps Bucks County struggling families