Volunteer Spotlight: Sandra Michelman at Cambridge Women's Center

For Sandra Michelman, volunteering at the Cambridge Women's Center began with a moment of good timing. After moving from the suburbs to Cambridge, she decided to investigate volunteering as a way to connect with the community. By chance, she saw a last-minute call for help on the Cambridge Volunteers website: the Women’s Center needed volunteers the very next day. “I thought, I can do that,” she recalls. She’s been going ever since.

Now a regular volunteer during drop-in hours, Sandra helps out by greeting women, lending a hand in the community kitchen, and assisting with everyday needs—from clothing to conversation to paperwork.

Located in a renovated former residence near Central Square, the Center still feels homey. The welcoming atmosphere is intentional: it’s a safe, hospitable environment to find community, resources, and a sense of dignity. The organization has an impressive history: founded in 1971 after a feminist organizing effort, it’s the longest continuously operating community center for women in the country. Today, it supports women dealing with housing instability, isolation, complex bureaucratic systems, and other challenges, and connects them with resources. Volunteers play a vital role in sustaining that work.

For Sandra, the impact often shows up in small, personal moments. She describes setting aside a dress for someone who was looking for one and helping a visitor navigate paperwork. “It’s little things,” she says, “but you get to know people.” Over time, those moments build into real connections—like the woman who taught her some Swahili before a trip to Tanzania, creating what Sandra calls a “special little bond.”

Volunteering, she says, offers something else, too: perspective. “You get wrapped up in your own world,” she reflects. “Then you go there, and it’s a more meaningful way to connect—to help someone, even just brighten their day.”

Her advice to new volunteers is simple: come with openness. “Be prepared to roll with things,” she says. “People are dealing with a lot. But it’s absolutely worth it.”

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Photos and text: Molly O'Brien

We are indebted to Molly, Sandra, and the team at Cambridge Women's Center for this Volunteer Spotlight.

Click here to learn more about the Cambridge Women's Center and how to get involved.

You can help Cambridge Volunteers connect more volunteers like Sandra with the local nonprofits that need them. Support local volunteerism with a contribution today at www.cambridgevolunteers.org/donate.