CAMBRIDGE — The staff and volunteers of the Robin Hood Shop, owned and operated by the Auxiliary of Dorchester General Hospital, celebrated the Shop’s 64th birthday on March 16. Auxiliary board members, UM Shore Regional Health officials and several local dignitaries were in attendance at the event, which featured a short ceremony marking the fulfillment of the mortgage obligation that funded the construction of an addition to the Shop’s building at 416 High St. in 2016.

As part of the ceremony, Auxiliary members Debbie Thomas (chairman, Robin Hood Shop), Joy Loeffler (acting president) and Cathy Gullion, Shop manager, ceremoniously “pitched” the mortgage paperwork after Loeffler read a letter from the Hebron Bank certifying that the $125,000 mortgage was paid in full. Thomas thanked the Pauline F. and David W. Robbins Charitable Trust Foundation, which largely funded the addition, donating a total of $90,000 since 2016. The Foundation’s most recent gift, received in January 2021, funded full payment on the balance due.
The Robin Hood Shop is a Cambridge icon, selling gently used clothing, toys, household goods, jewelry and furniture.

Thomas thanked all of the volunteers for their dedication and commitment and gave a special “shout-out” to Monique Morrow, who started the Shop’s online Ebay store. In just two months, the Robin Hood’s Ebay store has grown to include more than 250 items and is now a top-rated seller. Thomas also commended Gullion for her tireless efforts and many hours as shop manager, and Debra Venisch, owner of Heart of Dorchester Antiques, who has partnered with the Shop to sell high-end jewelry.
In its decades of operation, more than $1.3 million in proceeds from the Robin Hood Shop have funded equipment purchases and hospital needs in Dorchester County.
Ken Kozel, president and CEO University of Maryland Shore Regional Health, offered remarks thanking the Auxiliary for their donations of time, talent and funds.
“We are a better organization with the Auxiliary of Dorchester General Hospital as a critical partner,” said Kozel.

Mayor Andrew Bradshaw presented a “Mayor’s Citation” from the City to the Robin Hood Shop and the DGH Auxiliary.
Also present was Nicole Beus Harris, who presented a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition on behalf of her husband, Congressman Andy Harris.