“If you’re in the trenches doing social service and you meet a drug addict who needs sweatpants and a T-shirt before going into detox, you know that religious organizations are really important,” says Steven B. Stritt, a lecturer in the School of Social Work at San Jose State University. Faith-based organizations (FBOs), he says, “fill in the gaps” by offering flexible, immediate aid such as clothing, shelter, and food. Yet no one seemed to know exactly how much aid…

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Read more stories by Alana Conner.