NJ Family Who Won $429,000,000 Lottery Jackpot Launch Grant-Making Fund to Give Back to Their Hometown

What would you do if you won a $429.6 million Powerball jackpot? My (admittedly shallow and selfish) fantasy includes buying a private island and never having to deal with people again. However, one Trenton, N.J., family is going above and beyond and showing extreme selflessness by choosing to put some of their winnings into their own grant-making fund to help make their community better.

As NJ.com reports, about a year ago, the Smith family scored big and won the massive jackpot. However, the family of eight, which includes Pearlie Mae Smith and her seven adult children, didn’t blow it all on expensive houses, cars and vacations. Nor did they write big checks to the long-lost friends and relatives who tend to pop into your life when things like this happen.

Instead each family member gave a portion of their winnings to start the Smith Family Foundation, a grant-making fund they hope can improve their community and elsewhere in the years to come.