National Volunteer Month: April 2026
How Assumption College senior Allison Smith found her calling in the quiet corridors of a women’s shelter and why she never wants to leave.
When Allison Smith first walked through the doors of Abby’s House in Worcester, she was a junior at Assumption College looking to fulfill a criminology internship requirement. She had expected courts, or maybe a police station. She had not expected to find something that felt unmistakably like home.
“When I walked in, it felt like a home,” Allison says. “It didn’t feel like a shelter at all.” Nearly two years later, having moved from intern to per diem shelter staff and back again, she’s still not quite ready to leave.
“I think everyone deserves a little bit of Abby’s.”
Finding her way in
Allison is finishing up her double major in criminology and psychology at Assumption, with a concentration in clinical counseling. When it came time to find an internship, she made a deliberate choice to sidestep the well-worn path. Most criminology students head to courthouses or precinct ride-alongs. Allison wanted the social justice side of the equation.
She found Abby’s House on her school’s internship list, called and left her name, and received a call back from Molly Pietrantonio, Volunteer and Thrift Shop Manager (herself an Assumption alumna). After a phone interview and a background check, she was in. What began as a volunteer placement grew into paid shelter staff work, a testament to the connections she built and the dedication she showed.
A different kind of shelter
One of the first things Allison had to unlearn was her understanding of what a shelter looks like. She had a picture in her mind, but that turned out to be almost exactly wrong.
“I think everyone has a preconceived notion of what a shelter looks like, which is the opposite of what Abby’s actually is. It just takes a little step in the door to realize it.”
What she found instead was calm. Warmth. The smell of dinner being cooked. Evenings in the living room where women came home, set down their groceries, and slowly exhaled. There were craft nights and open playrooms for children, gentle conversations and a lot of laughter.
“It reminds me of a bunch of older sisters living together,” she says. “Only sometimes there are kids there. It’s a family unit.” The women staying at the shelter are referred to as guests, a detail Allison found telling. “I really appreciate that. It’s very welcoming.”
A moment she carries with her
When asked to name the moment that has stayed with her most, Allison doesn’t hesitate. She recalls a mother of three who was spending her final nights at the shelter before moving into her own apartment.
Most evenings the kitchen smells delicious, but that night stood out in particular: the departing mother was cooking up lasagna. “She made enough for everyone,” Allison remembers. “Everyone ate together with the kids dancing and playing.” It sounds simple, even joyful, and in many ways it was. But it was also one of the most bittersweet moments she has ever witnessed.
“They have grown with these people,” she says. “You can choose to make friends and utilize the resources. That night before someone leaves, it’s always so bittersweet.”
She also reflects on the different groups of women she met during her time there. People she bonded with as others moved on and new residents arrived. “I will never forget the women who were there when I first started.”
Growing through the work
In January, Allison extended her time at Abby’s by beginning a psychology internship at our 52 High Street location, where she now works alongside supervisor Annemarie D’Ambrosio-Govardhan and shadows the thrift shop and kitchen operations. Working with Maura in the kitchen on Wednesdays, learning proper vegetable prep, understanding how food donations flow in from grocery stores and pantries, seeing the resident training program in action has been a revelation.
“The fact that residents can get ServSafe certified is amazing,” she says. “These are real, transferable skills.” The thrift shop has been equally eye-opening. One of the volunteers she met there turns out to be from the very first class of women served by Abby’s House… a living thread connecting the organization’s earliest days to its present.
Professionally, Allison says the work has taught her the delicate art of open conversation: how to be genuinely present with someone while still holding appropriate boundaries, how to listen before speaking, how to know when sharing her own experience helps and when it doesn’t.
“It taught me to be open to listening, to have forward conversations, to place boundaries — and to know when sharing my experience is not the way to go.”
What she’d tell anyone considering it
Allison is graduating in May 2026, and she’s thinking hard about how to carry Abby’s with her. “I hold Abby’s at the top of a pedestal,” she says. “I want to pick it up and put it in my pocket.”
To anyone on the fence about volunteering or interning there, her advice is immediate and unambiguous.
“Do it immediately. I think everyone should volunteer at a place that helps the public — because without seeing it, you have no idea who is around you, or the community you’re a part of.”
She notes that the reach of Abby’s extends far beyond Worcester. A woman she met recently in the thrift shop had come from New York specifically because of the organization’s reputation. “That says something about the reach Abby’s has had within Worcester, but also within the vast community of women throughout the Northeast.”
And for anyone who might be hesitant to reach out for help who worries they’re not in bad enough shape to knock on the door, Allison has one more thing to say.
“You don’t have to be at rock bottom to knock. You can reach out ahead of time, and they will still be here.”
About Allison Smith
Allison Smith graduates from Assumption College in May 2026 with a double major in criminology and psychology and a concentration in clinical counseling. She has been affiliated with Abby’s House in Worcester for nearly two years.
About Abby’s House
Abby’s House is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing shelter, affordable housing, and advocacy services to women and children experiencing homelessness and housing instability. For 50 years, Abby’s House has remained committed to creating safe, supportive environments where women receive resources they need to build self-directed live. Grounded in principles of DEI, accessibility, antiracism, and belonging, our work is guided by a deep commitment to advancing social justice and strengthening our community.
In 2026, Abby’s House proudly celebrates its 50th anniversary honoring five decades of impact while looking ahead to the future of our mission. To mark this milestone, we invite you to join us at our 50th Anniversary Gala, where everyone that has been a part of the Abby’s House story will come together to celebrate what has been accomplished and look forward to what is to come for the women and children we serve. Your participation helps open the door to opportunity. We hope to see you there.
Learn more about our work, place an ad in our gala program book, or make a difference today.