For over seven years, Donna Smiley has dedicated herself to ensuring that Spartanburg’s elderly know they’re not forgotten.
When Smiley first founded Help for Our Elderly in 2019, it was purely a passion project. “I ran it out of my own pocket for two and a half years, because that’s how much I believe in what we do,” she says. Her husband worked as a marketer in the senior care industry, and when the couple would go to care homes for events, they were heartbroken to see how many people couldn’t afford enough incontinence supplies.
“We quickly realized that people who didn’t have enough money to afford incontinence supplies didn’t have enough money to afford anything,” Smiley says. “So we started going to Gifts and Kind, a Walmart return center, and get Walmart returns for our clients — everything from over the counter medicine and makeup to cleaning supplies like soap and Swiffer mops.”
Smiley says that many of the people they support are on Social Security and making a good deal under $1,000 per month. For these seniors, the burden of everyday expenses can be next to impossible.
“We provide them with hope, more than anything,” says Smiley. “They come to us, and oftentimes they’re not clean, they’re disheveled and dirty and don’t have a lot of hope. And then they come to us, and they get laundry pods, and toilet tissue, and soap, and toothpaste, and they come back the next month and they’re clean, and they’re happy, and they’re smiling. That makes such a big difference to me, just be able to let them be human.”
Help for Our Elderly operates 100% through volunteer support with no payroll. They currently have 14 volunteers, and serve around 600 families each month. In 2025, they served 6,500 seniors in the Upstate.
“We’ve had people weep over dishwashing liquid,” Smiley says. “It breaks my heart. And if you can’t afford to get dishwashing liquid, you certainly can’t afford to get a wheelchair, and things like that take such a long time to get approved by insurance. People just have to find a way to do without if they can’t get it free.”
So, in addition to everyday household items, Help for Our Elderly also works to provide local seniors with equipment like canes, walkers, and wheelchairs. Smiley is quick to say that the organization isn’t a loan closet. “When people get equipment from us, they can keep it until the day they die,” she says. “But if they get better, hopefuly they’ll bring it back to us. They’re not required to, but we ask that they consider it, and we do have a lot of equipment returned in good condition. Then we can pass them on to the next person who needs it, particularly items like wheelchairs, which are really a hot commodity.”
Help for Our Elderly serves Spartanburg, Cherokee, and Union counties, and is supported through grants and private donations, in addition to local community partners. “I always tell people who don’t believe in miracles to come to my office for a day,” says Smiley. “You’ll see miracles happen. When we have a need, it’s like God just provides it for us. People bring donations to the front door, and sometimes it’s things we desperately need right at that moment.”
The organization welcomes community donations, and Smiley says that getting involved can be quick, easy, and inexpensive. “We get a lot of Amazon and Walmart deliveries where people just buy things online and have them delivered to our office,” she says. Members of the community can also pop by discount stores like Dollar General and stock up on basic supplies.
“People can purchase toothpaste and soap and cleaning supplies and dishwashing liquid on the dollar aisle,” says Smiley. “You can spend $50 and get two buggies full. When people know where to shop, they can get a lot for their money, a big bank for their buck. They don’t have to go and get expensive things.”
Other regular supporters of Help for Our Elderly pick up things like extra toilet paper on their monthly Costco trip, or support as a part of their tithe. Smiley says that for shopaholics, partnering with their cause can be a great outlet.
“We have people who are addicted to shopping who help us out, and instead of buying a bunch of things they don’t need, they go out and buy supplies for us,” she says. “It satisfies their need to shop, and it helps the community as well.”
At the end of the day, that community impact is what keeps Smiley’s passion for the cause alive.
“We want to make their lives better, and we want to make our part of the world better,” she says. “Seniors are so often forgotten. People don’t think about seniors, even when they’re in the giving season. They think about the children and the animals, and they look right over the elderly people. And that’s why it’s so close to my heart. I don’t want to see anybody left out. I don’t want to see people stuck with no hope of getting anything better than what they have.”
If you’re interested in supporting Help for Our Elderly, you can stop by their office at 2375 E Main St., Spartanburg, or donate at https://helpforourelderly.org/donate/.
