Introduction
The community of Petersburg, Texas, requires the support of charitable deeds that would alleviate the burden of having to worry about finding shelter or accessing affordable and clean clothing or needed household items. The current project aims to help people in need by collecting clothing and household donations from the community, items that they could not sell at consignment sales, and donating them to The Well.
The Well is an organization that focuses on improving the health and wellness of the population in Petersburg. The project’s main objective, which targets lower-income and underserved people in the town, is to provide them with items that they will find helpful in their everyday lives. By having access to essential products, the target demographic of the project will have more resources allocated to purchase food or pay for housing. Besides, it is necessary to foster a sense of community in Petersburg to illustrate that people who require assistance to live healthily and happily can rely on their fellow community members who have the resources to provide help.
Problem Summary
Unequally distributed resources in society represent a larger challenge for many communities. Some households with tight budgets may be forced to choose between purchasing ingredients for a week of dinners and clothing or household items. This problem is especially concerning for lower-income families who raise young children and need to buy clothing more regularly as kids grow fast. Still, their resources are highly limited, resulting in poor quality and limited access to clothing.
Moreover, if families purchase items in new condition because they cannot find them elsewhere, they may have to scrape money to buy food or pay for housing. Therefore, lower-income households will benefit significantly when community services help alleviate financial burdens.
The problem opens up an opportunity to discuss further challenges associated with donating clothing and household items. Specifically, there is a misconception that it is not worth donating anything that one will not be willing to use themselves (Selmys, 2016). However, people who do not have a choice will use anything they have access to just to avoid spending a lot of money on it.
There is a significant gap between people who can afford to purchase new clothing and household items and replace them after a while and those who do not have the money to purchase in the first place, which illustrates a class divide and perpetuates further inequality (Selmys, 2016). However, dispelling misconceptions about donating clothing and other items can help alleviate the deep financial burdens that lower-income populations face. Petersburg is a close-knit community in which mutual support is instrumental in reducing the persistence of inequality by raising awareness of the pressing needs of underserved families.
Demographics
Qualitative
Petersburg, TX, is a small community with declining population numbers over the years. In 2019, the total population was 1,132, which was a 10.3% change since 2010, while 100% of the entire population is considered rural. Regarding gender distribution, the population comprises 56.6% of females and 43.4% of males. The median age of residents in Petersburg is 36.9 years, while the median age for the entire state of Texas is 35.1 years (City-Data, 2019).
The estimated median income of a household in the community is $44,665 as compared to the state median of $64,034 (City-Data, 2019). For the community as a whole, the racial makeup is as follows: 96.4% of the population is White, 1.9% is of other ethnicities, 0.7% is Black, 0.6% is Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and 0.5% is Asian. Besides, 70% of the population identifies as Hispanic (“Petersburg, Texas Population History,” 2021).
Quantitative
The demographic data that stands out the most for the community of Petersburg is the racial distribution. Notably, 18.6% of the community’s residents are living in poverty, and the issue is distributed unequally by race: 100% of Black, 21.8% of Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% of other races, and 9.4% of White non-Hispanic residents live in poverty (City-Data, 2019). The fact that the entire Black population in the town lives in poverty points to the unequal access to opportunities among the population of different races to sustain one’s living (Healthy People 2020, 2020).
The indicator of poverty for the minority population in Petersburg meets the general federal and statewide trend that more Black citizens live below the poverty line compared to other groups. The findings of researchers regarding the disparities and inequality in income based on race have been controversial in Texas, which is why the issue is critical. Specifically, DeVore (2019) reported that the metropolitan areas across Texas had the lowest rates of poverty for the Black population.
In contrast, Olin (2020) found that the economy of the state was fifth in the nation regarding the disparities in employment and wealth between Black and White citizens. The statistics concerning Petersburg align with the findings of Olin (2020), as there is a significant gap in income between Black residents of the town and those of other racial backgrounds. This disparity suggests that the program will target the underserved Black population in Petersburg, as it experiences the highest levels of job and income insecurity.
Geographic Factors
Petersburg is located in Hale County, Texas. It is a small town with a total area of 0.8 miles and a population of less than 1,200, which allows it to have a strong sense of community. The town has many green spaces and parks, which enhance opportunities to engage in active lifestyles. It neighbors such cities as Lorenzo, Abernathy, Floydada, Idalou, and New Deal. While there are no lakes and rivers located specifically in Petersburg, Julia Lake is located nine miles from the town and allows for fishing under the set rules and regulations. The town is located officially in the Central Time Zone (GMT/UTC -6 hours during Standard Time and -5 hours during Daylight Saving Time)
Regarding the weather, October, September, and May are the most comfortable months for living there, while January and December are the least comfortable. The summers in the town are long and hot, while winters are short and cold, as well as cloudy and snowy. Throughout the year, the temperature in Petersburg varies between 28°F and 92°F, rarely reaching lower than 17°F or higher than 99°F (Weather Spark, 2023). The weather conditions suggest a significant rise in temperatures between the colder and warmer months, suggesting that citizens must have clothing to meet the fluctuating temperatures. Winter clothing can be more expensive, with people struggling financially and unable to afford it, especially for children who grow up fast.
Stakeholders
The project aimed at supplying underserved citizens of Petersburg, Texas, with excess clothing and homeware products, and the resources to donate them, can help push the initiative forward. While the overall income level is lower in Petersburg compared to the national average, there is a significant gap between moderate- and high-income citizens and those with low incomes or who live in poverty.
The resources available to each person or household can differ; however, many people will likely find something useful to donate to others in need. Posting online advertisements or printed pamphlets in local stores, cafes, and other public places can encourage people to donate. Getting the attention of as many people as possible is necessary to activate word-of-mouth marketing so that more town residents share the initiative and consider donating to the cause.
As identified in the previous sections of the analysis, the lower-income population of Petersburg, especially impoverished citizens, will benefit from the project because they need the most help and support from their communities. Access to donated food and household items will allow these citizens to lower the financial burden associated with purchasing products that go beyond their budget. When the population can get some of the items for free from donations, they free up valuable monetary resources that they can target to purchase food and pay other important bills.
Moreover, when households experience severe poverty, they can apply for Texas Health and Human Services assistance. The Well is an initiative to focus on the underserved communities of Petersburg and their needs. By raising awareness of the challenges that the target population of the project experiences, it will be possible to foster an improved sense of community and mutual support.
Community-Based Outcomes
The primary outcome being addressed with the help of the project is alleviating the monetary burden among lower-income and poor citizens associated with purchasing clothing and household items. By reaching this outcome, it will be possible to include the quality of living in the town, as there is a disparity in opportunity associated with a race-related divide. The fact that 100% of the Black town population is poor is concerning, as it illustrates the larger issue that is relevant on the country-wide level. Providing support to people in need within the smaller Petersburg community will set a positive example for neighboring towns, as the initiatives set on a state level lack focus on closely-knit communities with unique characteristics. While the project does not have the capacity to reduce income inequality, it will serve as a step in the direction of addressing the divide in the future.
Another outcome being addressed is the community’s overall propensity to understand others’ needs and come together at times of adversity. Without a community that is willing to help them, underserved groups who live in poverty are more likely to feel isolated and lonely, which adversely influences their mental health and overall quality of life. A sense of belonging is crucial in the current insecure environment, as the cost of living is increasing, and the opportunities to get work and earn a decent living are declining. In such a complicated context, giving away some items to people in need can strengthen the relationships within the Petersburg community and bring attention to the adverse outcomes people are dealing with.
Action Steps to Implement Change
The first step to change is surveying local citizens on their capacity and willingness to donate clothing and other items to The Well. This can be achieved by advertising the initiative and talking to people in public to determine the degree of engagement that will ultimately impact project outcomes. Since the population of Petersburg is relatively small, and everyone knows everyone, this step may take around a month to establish a baseline for further steps in the project. It will be useful to collect the contact information of citizens who agreed to participate so that they can keep in touch with them when they have the time to donate to the project.
The second step is going around the community to collect donations from the residents who have clothing or household items they do not need and consider not worth selling. Besides, some things may be left after consignment sales, which are more likely to be given away because no one purchased them. The next step is sorting the items to differentiate them into women’s, men’s, and children’s clothing and shoes. Household donations will be divided into things for the bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom.
After all items are sorted, they can be donated to the organization, and from that point, the volunteers will distribute the donations to the needy population. The project can be repeated seasonally, as Petersburg has severely fluctuating weather in the summer and winter, and people living in poverty may be unable to purchase warmer clothing. Depending on the project’s success, engaging communities from neighboring towns may be the next step in implementation.
Conclusion
The success of the project will be determined based on the feedback of the citizens who helped others and those who received help. The consensus regarding the benefits of the project and the usefulness of donating clothing and household items will be measured qualitatively by surveying the population over several months after project implementation. Specifically, questions such as “Did you find it rewarding to donate to those in need?” and “Do you plan on donating more in the future?” will be asked of the people who helped.
Questions such as “Did you receive something you needed from the donations?” and “What items are you still lacking?” will be asked of those who received help. In summary, the project will promote social cohesion in Petersburg by showing that donations can bring positive outcomes to needy people. Moreover, underserved groups will feel valued and supported with the help of the program.
References
DeVore, C. (2019). Texas Metros Feature Nation’s Lowest Black poverty rates with high poverty in costly coastal cities. Forbes. Web.
Healthy People 2020. Determinants of health. Web.
MapQuest. (n.d.). Petersburg, TX. Web.
Olin, A. (2020). Texas economy ranks near the top for racial equality in a nation with pervasive wealth inequality. Web.
Selmys, M. (2016). I rely on thrift stores to keep my family clothed and fed. What you donate matters. Vox. Web.
Weather Spark. (2023). Climate and average weather year-round in Petersburg, Texas, United States. Web.