Since 1951, the Baystate Franklin Medical Center Gift Shop in Greenfield has donated more than $2 million toward hospital programs and services. As the shop’s 75th anniversary approaches, volunteers are celebrating a project that provides camaraderie and comfort to patients, family members and hospital staff.
Credit goes to my neighbor Chantal Dupuis for providing the tip for this column. A longtime volunteer, Dupuis honors “the dedication of volunteers who deserve recognition for their unselfish work and generosity of spirit.”
I interviewed three members of the volunteer team in advance of their Nov. 5 celebration. South Deerfield resident Diane Grybko is Baystate Franklin Auxiliary’s president, Greenfield native Liane Watts is the shop’s co-chair (along with Melody Friedrich), and South Deerfield resident Barbara Alden served as co-chair for two decades and was a gifts department buyer for 15 years.
Most U.S. hospital gift shops are now outsourced; Baystate Franklin’s is among the few that remain entirely run by volunteers. The service is Baystate Franklin Auxiliary’s main focus.
“We offer unique gifts and personal service,” Grybko said. “The gift shop enhances the lives of everyone involved.”
She noted that some volunteers have responsibilities that require a great deal of time and attention: “Longtime volunteer Diane O’Connell, our head treasurer, oversees all accounting operations. Marie Clark sees to it that all 20 shifts are filled every week. No one takes a penny; instead, we earn satisfaction.”
The gift shop offers a broad range of selections. Volunteer Paula Betters said, “Customers often say, ‘Where else in Greenfield can you buy these items?’ We want people to know we’re here.”
Alden has watched market forces shape consumer choices.
“Our shop fills a hole,” she said, “especially given price increases due to tariffs and other factors. Shoppers need other sources for the things they need.”
With designated buyers for each department, the shop is regularly stocked with gifts suitable for all ages, ranging from clothing, toys, books, and stuffed animals for babies and young children, to items geared toward adults, such as jewelry, gourmet foods and stationery. Inventory always includes handmade and locally sourced items; the shop recently began a consignment sales department featuring local artisans and crafters.
Volunteer June Burns — now in her 90s — knits baby sweaters for sale in the gift shop. Each one takes the Westfield resident about 40 hours.
“Since 1980, June has donated her time making about 1,500 sweaters,” said Grybko, who noted that Burns was initially motivated by personal loss. “Her family lost a loved one, and she wanted to give back to the community after receiving support herself.”
Support is the raison d’être of the shop. Even before its current entity launched, local women volunteered to help support what was then the Franklin County Public Hospital.
“In 1914, the [then auxiliary group] pledged an annual gift of $1,000,” Alden recounted.
When asked how donated funds have been used over the years, Grybko said various hospital departments used to submit requests, “but now that we’re under Baystate, they do it differently. We receive a list of capital requests.”
About $200,000 went to support the new surgical unit. Donations in 2026 have included $8,000 for specialized furniture in the mental health unit, $7,300 for an exercise machine for the pulmonary/cardiac unit, and about $14,000 for diagnostic machinery for optical health.
“We’re also stewards of the Annie S. Barclay Scholarship, which provides up to $10,000 each year to applicants in the medical field,” Grybko said. “Those studying EMT, nursing, pharmacology, PT, things like that, can receive scholarship support. We also support the Family Medicine Residency program, which aims to bring family practitioners to Greenfield for training.”
The volunteers — currently all women — are mostly retired, “but we have some high school students, too,” Watts said. “In fact, we have nearly as many volunteers as the gift shop in Springfield,” Baystate Health’s flagship hospital.
Watts recalled relatives who volunteered at the hospital in bygone days.
“My mother, Evelyn Whitcomb, worked in the coffee shop, which doesn’t exist anymore,” she said. “My aunt volunteered there, too.”
Watts grew up in Greenfield and worked as a telephone company 411 telephone operator for decades; she’s been part of the gift shop since 2013.
Alden moved to Franklin County from Boston in 1964 to work first as a hospital pharmacist and later as a nursing home administrator. When Alden retired in 1999, she realized, “When you’ve worked full-time and then you stop, you have to figure out what’s next. I was invited to be part of the gift shop volunteer team, and it’s been a wonderful experience.”
For her part, Grybko still works full-time in her family’s third-generation business running school buses and overseeing pupil transport, yet she prioritizes the Baystate Franklin Auxiliary.
“The people who come into the shop are amazing,” Grybko said. “Everyone has a story and comes from different places. I always come away with more joy than I came in with,” she added, pausing to dab her eyes. “I get emotional just talking about it.”
In honor of the 75th anniversary, the Baystate Franklin Gift Shop will hold sales the first week of November, including 25% discounts on Nov. 5. The shop is ordinarily closed on weekends, but holiday hours will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the four Saturdays between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
For anyone who is interested in volunteering, Grybko said, “We’re looking for new members. Certain vaccinations are required, there’s a CORI check, and each volunteer is requested to work one shift per month.”
Watts added, “One shift per month, minimum.” Everyone in attendance for the interview nodded emphatically. “It’s so worth it,” Watts added.
Eveline MacDougall, author of “Fiery Hope,” can be reached at evelinemacdougall@gmail.com.