OUR HISTORY
Early in the 20th Century the need for a hospital to serve the residents on Cape Cod was recognized by two experienced nurses from Boston. Together they established the Hyannis Hospital as a seasonal institution. Several years later the growing need for a full time hospital was supported with Cape Cod Hospital opening its doors to the public on October 4, 1920.
Public interest grew with each expansion of hospital services. Several scattered groups of women began to gather in private homes to sew for Cape Cod Hospital, raise funds and gather gift donations. In 1942 Ms. Gorham Bacon a Trustee of Cape Cod Hospital officially gathered 18 women and organized the Cape Cod Hospital Aid Association.
As membership increased, groups were organized into Village Branches who continued to fundraise on behalf of the hospital as well as volunteer & manage the hospital Gift and Thrift Shop which opened in 1956. Not until 1959 did the Association begin its current method of pledging specific financial aid to the hospital for “urgently needed items”.
TODAY…. we are known as the Cape Cod Hospital Auxiliary. Pledges are undertaken based on specific needs identified by hospital management which help offset the continually increasing expense of providing high-quality medical care to our community. Over 225+ Auxilian volunteers fulfill this mission between the Chatham/Harwich & Orleans Branches and our Thrift Shop. Typically we raise $200 – $250,000 annually. In 2025 we fulfilled our $1 million pledge for Cancer Services now housed in the new Barbey Patient Care Pavilion. Our current pledge is $1 million for The Family Birthplace at Cape Cod Hospital.
When volunteers use their natural talents and act on their own creative ideas for fundraising activities and events, amazing goals can be achieved.
Branch Leadership Team
Hospital Care Pillows & Pillowcases
A personal gift from our branch to patients of Cape Cod Hospital. Care Pillows are made of beautiful fabric that is cut, sewn, stuffed, seamed and packaged with loving care for hundreds of Cape Cod Hospital patients to use post operatively for positional relief of pain or discomfort.
Pillowcases are also handmade and packaged for our families with infants & young children who are cared for by the Cape Cod Hospital Visiting Nurses Association.
Photo courtesy of Jennifer Eldredge Stello
Cape Cod Hospital Thrift Shop
We encourage all members to consider volunteering for our Thrift Shop. For more information, please contact the Thrift Shop directly at 508-775-0078
Auxiliary Bylaws and Branch Policies and Procedures
*Coming Soon