Philanthropist Erin Smith, of Weston, Florida and her daughter Riley created Project We Care to provide veterans with the resources they need

San Francisco, California, 22nd March 2022, ZEXPRWIRE, Project We Care is a family-based non-profit organization created by philanthropist Erin Smith and her daughter Riley Smith. The family-based charity aims to support the needs of returning veterans through donation drives for clothing, basic necessities, household goods, and food. According to project founder Erin Smith, “Project We Care was born out of a sense of gratitude to the brave soldiers who defend our country. My father served in the military and I saw the great sacrifices that he made but also the great sense of purpose and pride that he had. My daughter Riley has also been instrumental in starting and running Project We Care. She expressed to me her sadness for the lack of care and resources that have been given to some of our veterans as they are trying to re-establish their lives when they have returned home.” 

The first major project for Project We Care was to supply an entire house with groceries, household goods, clothing, and furniture. Erin Smith states that “this is truly a family-based organization as Riley has now dedicated hours each day after school to help coordinate efforts in the areas of marketing and public relations. She also spends time contacting veterans organizations and helping finalize donation drives within the county. We want to spread our wings into other counties but we need the people on the ground willing to work with us.” They have been able to enlist the help of local businesses such as All Year Cooling in offering donations that are used to buy supplies for the veterans as well as to provide with promotional and marketing opportunities.

Project We Care works with the Veterans Administration Subsidized Housing program to identify and connect with veterans in need of assistance and from there, Erin Smith and her team of volunteers take an inventory of what they have and help to create care packages aimed at turning theirs houses into warm, welcoming homes that offer a place to recover physically and psychologically.  Erin Smith states that, “some veterans are having a very difficult time reintegrating after their service. The needs of our returning soldiers are numerous but some of these items include basic food items, household goods, clothing, coats and blankets during the cold winter months.” Erin Smith adds “this is why support from the community is so important to help us help them.”

Project We Care welcomes any donations whether they are financial or donation drives for specific items such as new socks, toiletries, undergarments or furniture. Erin Smith notes that “as Project We Care grows it will be able to offer more assistance by providing more sustainable programs with opportunities for training in areas where there are shortages.”

About Erin Smith

Erin Smith of Weston, Florida, is a philanthropist who is involved in many charitable causes and activities. She is most well-known for co-founding Project We Care, a family-based non-profit organization that works with the Veterans Administration Subsidized Housing program to provide veterans with food, clothing, and the household essentials necessary to make a comfortable and restful home. Originally from Santa Monica, California, Erin moved at an early age to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She graduated from South Plantation High School and eventually settled in Weston, Florida, where she lives with husband of nearly twenty years, Thomas “Tommy” Smith, and their four children.

Erin Smith is very active in the community of Weston, Florida, and has been a major contributor to local academic causes, including assistance to the JT Reading Room, which helps improve literacy among schoolchildren and increase graduation rates, as well as making frequent donations to the Broward County School system and offering help with organizing and operating extracurricular activities. She enlisted the help of her husband Thomas and his company, All Year Cooling, in raising money for Cancer.org to help in the fight against breast cancer.

One of the most important things for Erin is that she has been able to instill in her children a passion for helping others. Through helping the Weston, Florida community in a number of ways—working with Lifenet for Families, volunteering at the Susan B. Anthony Recovery Center, lending a hand to Habitat for Humanity—Erin Smith has shown by her example that helping others is a truly meaningful endeavor. Erin is perhaps most proud of the efforts her daughter Riley has made in taking up the mantle of philanthropy as co-founder of Project We Care.