Barbara Smith of Coventry confesses she has a bad habit. She smokes. But if it wasn’t for her smoking, an organization that is now helping the victims of the Westgate Condominium fire may have never become a reality.

Smith remembers stepping outside her glass sliding door for a cigarette, just over a year ago. It was cold, a very cold night. She quickly finished her smoke and jumped back into her cozy bed.

It was then that she thought there are “people out there,” people that don’t have a cozy bed. She called her mother, Coreen St. Jean, and they decided to do something about it. They gathered up clothing and blankets and drove the streets of Providence looking for homeless people. They really didn’t know where to look and ended up outside the Providence Rescue Mission, where they gave away the stuff they had collected.

That was the start of Help the Homeless in RI, an all-volunteer group that has been collecting clothing and serving Sunday dinner for the needy for more than a year.

Their efforts have made the news, but it was their actions in the wake of the Westgate fire on March 11 that suddenly put them in the front of cameras again and made Help the Homeless in RI a rallying point for a community that wants to help.

Smith turned to the organization’s Facebook page to spread the word they could use donations to help the Westgate victims. It spread from there. Scores of people started showing up at 10 Brookside Dr. in West Warwick with bags of clothing, toiletries, toys, bedding and food. Help the Homeless serves a Sunday dinner at 5 p.m. each week with as many as 70 people attending.

“From toasters to nail clippers, we have it,” said Smith.

The outpouring of donations was close to overwhelming. Smith, her mother and Andrea Smith, who make up the core of the organization, called on volunteers, and they went through the donations, categorizing clothing and separating items, like toys, so they could be easily identified. They teamed up with MAE Organization for the Homeless that came through with some much-welcomed assistance.

Smith said MAE and its founder, Martinha Javid, sorted clothing and helped set up the free store. Together they were able to get a larger storefront close by at 7 Washington Street, where they set up clothing racks and placed donations on tables.

Still, the donations kept coming and, eventually, they had to stop accepting them. There just wasn’t room.

On Saturday they opened the store for Westgate victims only. Then on Sunday they opened it for all in need. The turnout was terrific. Tenants from 28 of the 38 condos destroyed took advantage of the donations. The following day, they opened it to everyone. Scores of needy were able to get clothing and other items on Sunday. By noon, Smith estimated they had filled more than 100 bags with donated items.

“This is what we needed at this time,” said Susan Gaipo, who lost everything in the Westgate fire.

She didn’t have time to grab her pocketbook when the alarm spread by Patty Cahir reached her. Cahir also owned a condo in Building C.

Gaipo visited the storefront outlet Saturday with her husband, James Simmons. She said everyone was very helpful and kind and she was happy to get clothing and other items. Asked if she has heard anything more about the cause of the fire and when condo owners and tenants might be able to sift through the rubble, Gaipo said she hopes to get answers at a meeting tonight at the Crowne Plaza. The Westgate Condominium Association is conducting the meeting.

Sunday was the final day for the Washington Street outlet. They had to be out of the store by yesterday. Many of the items not given out went to Big Sisters of Rhode Island and some were saved for a “free store” Smith hopes to hold in the future.

Smith doesn’t know what will be the group’s next step. They have applied for a non-profit status from the Internal Revenue Service. Meanwhile, figuratively without a place big enough to house all the donations, they’re out in the cold. Smith estimates they could use about 1,200 square feet of space. It’s one donation they are hopeful of getting.

Those looking to assist should go to the organization’s Facebook page, Help the Homeless in RI.