Wesley Foundation supports Fort Worth homeless population with clothing drive

By Eleni Simatacolos, Staff Writer

Published Apr 9, 2025

The Wesley Foundation has received clothing of all shapes and sizes since it launched March 5.

Through its spring clothing drive, the TCU Wesley Foundation has collected over 300 pieces of clothing for the First Street Methodist Mission, which benefits the Tarrant County homeless population.

Grace O’Neil, a sophomore psychology major and the Wesley community service coordinator who organized the event, decided to partner Wesley with the First Street Methodist Mission because of its consistent need of emergency food, clothing and financial aid for the local homeless population.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, an estimated 2,762 people in Tarrant County experienced homelessness, according to Partnership Home Fort Worth.

An estimated 2,762 people experienced homelessness in the fourth quarter of 2024, an estimated 7% drop from the previous quarter. (ahomewithhope.org)

O’Neil started the clothing drive to provide an easy and time-efficient way for students to make an impact on the local community. She launched the drive during spring break, so students could bring clothing from home and involve their families in the project, which proved successful.

The clothing drive spans from March 5 – April 5, serving as a way to combine annual “spring cleaning” with community service. (Grace O’Neil)

“Having the drive during spring break ended up being a great decision, as students have gotten their entire families involved to ensure that we were getting a plethora of child and adult sizes to distribute,” O’Neil said.

All donations from the Wesley drive will benefit First Street’s April clothing bank visit.

The drive ended April 5. The ministry accepted all types of clothing, but had a preference for menswear and summer attire, which are currently in high demand among the homeless.

For further inquiries, email O’Neil or the Wesley Foundation at tcuwesley@gmail.com.