Sandra Smith
Only a few days after Charlotte's Urban Ministry Center opened in 1994, Sandra Smith arrived as a contract security guard. Resolved to make herself as useful as possible, she jumped in – working in the laundry room, helping with lunch, and assisting with ordering food. "I did a little bit of everything," she says. "I'd rather be doing something than just walking around the building. I'm just that kind of person." Sandra soon became part of the center's staff, and she is now director of food services for the Day Services Center, managing a staff of five and serving an average of 275 meals a day, seven days a week.
What started as just a job nearly three decades ago has become a lifelong passion. Her determination to show up is legendary; a recent bout with COVID marked the longest she'd ever been away from work. She has countless memories of working snow days and holidays. "This place changed my life," she says. "This place was a blessing for me."