History of The Goodfellow Fund

The Goodfellow Fund is a local tradition almost as old as the Star-Telegram. The Chicago Tribune started the first newspaper charity drive in the United States on Dec. 10, 1909. A Chicago city attorney wrote a letter challenging his friends to donate the money they would have spent on holiday partying to charity.

Two years later the Advertising Club of Fort Worth staged the first local Goodfellow campaign. The next year, on the day after Thanksgiving in 1912, Publisher Amon G. Carter brought the tradition to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. It was newspaper editor James M. North asking readers to help “lonely little children” and become one of the “Good Fellows” by doing so.

Over the years, the type of assistance provided to children and families has changed. In the early years the Goodfellow Fund volunteers delivered wood and coal to homes and later providing fruit and candy. During the Depression and after the Second World War the need shifted to one of the very basics of need, that of shoes and clothing. This continues today to be the only mission of the Goodfellow Fund.

The Goodfellow Fund receives thousands of requests for assistance in providing a holiday gift for children from families throughout the community.

"It is not only a family with low-income, but wage earners that have recently lost their job, incurred a catastrophic illness,

have heavy debt, going through a divorce or elderly grandparents asking for help with a gift for their grandchild.

”The families are real, their stories are real, the need is real.”

Richard Greene

Executive Director, The Goodfellow Fund

Help Us Help More Tarrant County Needy School Children

Your gift goes further and works hard for this reason

Through the generosity of our donors, The Goodfellow Fund provided gift cards for up to 10,000 Tarrant County underprivileged children to assist in purchasing shoes and clothing during the holiday season in 2023.

What makes the Goodfellow Fund different?

The Goodfellow Fund requires that all applicants receiving assistance come in for a personal interview to ensure that the applicant meets the criteria.  The individual interviews were scheduled at a specific date and time and conducted by trained volunteers working through The Goodfellow Fund staff. The family requesting assistance would have to provide:
  Documentation of Personal identification
  Documentation of Proof of residence in Tarrant County
  Birth Certificate designating the age of each child
  And verification of the enrollment of the child in school

You will need the following for your application entry:

Identification: The number on your Driver’s License, State or Country ID, Alien ID, or I-94 Card.

Residence in Tarrant County: The current address of your home or apartment. Your qualifying letter will be sent to this address. Please enter it carefully!!

Proof of Income for the Entire Family: This includes any of the following that apply to you and/or members of your family:  Your prior year’s Income Tax or IRS Tax Form 1040 OR paycheck stubs OR a letter from your employer stating your salary OR your current award letter(s) from TANF, SNAP food stamps, unemployment, child support, SSI/SSDI, and/or documentation of any other additional income/benefits you currently receive.   

Total family income must be less than 125% of the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines. 2024 Federal Poverty Guidelines Here!

Child’s Age: There must be at least one child in the household between the ages of 4 and 16 that is attending school, born between June 1, 2008 through September 1, 2020.

Enrollment in School: You should enter your child’s unique school identification number. This may be found on a current report card or a dated letter from the school verifying that the child is enrolled. Category of Home-School is also acceptable.