Making women feel seen and beautiful

A woman guest ran her hand over the soft and silk-like fabric of a blouse. It had been a long time since she shopped this way, feeling the blouse's texture and deciding if it suited her skin. 

As a guest of St. Vincent de Paul's Mesa Dining Room, she's had larger worries — meals and housing. But on this day, an array of bright and beautiful donated clothing items, shoes and accessories greeted her outside the dining room thanks to community member McKayla Banks-Thomas, who ran a clothing drive for the women guests. 

On June 7, she and three more volunteers set up tables and organized racks outside Mesa Dining Room to form a pop-up boutique experience for the women who visit for meals and connection to resources.

The clothing giveaway, “Warm Hearts, Fresh Starts,” was designed by McKayla, not just to get quality clothes into the hands of those who need them, but to give them a choice in what they get to wear. 

“I want to provide for women who want to feel seen and feel beautiful,” she said. “You should still be able to feel comfortable in what it is you're wearing, and be able to decide what it is you want to wear that day. Clothes speak to who we are. I know for me, I use my clothes to say who I am, and I feel like the same can go for anybody.”

The idea for this project came a few months ago when McKayla was in a period of renewal and was going through her belongings, especially her closet. That might sound easy enough, but the challenge came not when she was deciding what to get rid of, but how to get rid of it. 

Normally, she would give her clothes to a local thrift store, but she wanted to do something above and beyond to make sure that her clothes — which are new or lightly used, high quality, and from often well-known brands — go to women in need.

“How can I give these clothes away and make sure that they're free, and make sure that the person who receives them doesn’t need to worry about just getting hand-me-downs?” she asked herself.

She wasn’t sure what to do until she met a staff member from St. Vincent de Paul at a local professional mixer, and when she heard about SVdP’s mission and all it does, she knew she had found the perfect partner.

Working with staff from SVdP’s Mesa Dining Room, the plans for a clothing drive quickly came together, and most exciting, it had a unique twist thanks to McKayla’s vision — she would set up the giveaway like a mini boutique store to put the power of choice back in women’s hands.

“A lot of times when you think of a clothing drive, you think about just handing out clothes to those in need, whereas this is going to be different,” McKayla said. “I actually want them to be able to browse and get to actually see for themselves what it is that they like.” 

“Just because you might be in a tough spot doesn't mean that you don't deserve to have a preference or to have an opinion or a voice,“ she continued. “Your voice matters. Your preferences matter. You matter. So let's start by being sure that the clothes that you choose matter to you and speak to who you are.”

That’s where she got the name for the giveaway: “Warm Hearts, Fresh Starts.” 

“Because we gotta warm up our hearts,” McKayla said, “and this is a fresh start for everybody.”

McKayla more than pulled off her vision for the drive and event. She gathered a group of friends to help her, and with all their donations combined, they ended up having more than 250 articles of clothing. So on the day of the event, dozens of women were able to pick out new outfits that spoke to their personality and boosted their confidence.

“Events like this saved me,” said a Mesa Dining Room volunteer who is now stable but comes back to give her time. “I came from domestic violence and events like these helped me feel cared for.”

Throughout the morning, McKayla helped women find new outfits and explore their style. Her thoughtfulness and kindness brought out smiles in many of the women, some who usually keep to themselves in the dining room. 

“The event was really successful. So many of the ladies were very happy, energetic, and grateful for the clothes. Some were going outside their comfort zone and felt so empowered by it,” McKayla said. “I hope I was able to show them that they’re important regardless of any circumstances.”

McKayla enjoyed helping these women out so much that it doesn’t seem likely to be the last event of its kind.

“It made me want to get out here and throw more events like this,” she said. “One thing that stood out was that a lot of men came and were curious about what was going on. I told them that it was a women’s event but I want to do a men’s event soon. There’s such a need out here for people who need clothes. They deserve that dignity, no matter what situation they’re in.”