To the average customer looking for munchies, magazines and a get well card, a hospital gift shop may seem like a convenient stop on the way to visit a sick friend. But the Gift Shop at The Memorial Hospital at Easton has a more important mission.

Operated by the Memorial Hospital Auxiliary and staffed by Auxiliary volunteers, the Gift Shop raises money that funds healthcare programs and services offered across the Mid-Shore region.

“The money raised through the Gift Shop goes into the Auxiliary’s general fund, which is used to support the hospital,” says Joe Shultz, president of the Memorial Hospital Auxiliary. Donations from the Auxiliary most recently funded equipment used to monitor babies with sleep apnea and a $60,000 x-ray table used in the hospital’s imaging department.

Nita Knighton, an Auxiliary volunteer who oversees the Gift Shop, recently coordinated a top to bottom housecleaning of the shop. When the Gift Shop re-opened, the shelves were stocked with a new line of merchandise. The new inventory includes a selection of aromatic diffusers, aprons, wine glasses, humorous coasters and coffee mugs.

“You’ll find gifts for people of all ages, including fashion jewelry, gardening accessories, picture frames, painted plaques, toys and singing balloons,” Knighton says. “The shop continues to carry an assortment of gifts for newborns and moms as well as cards, flowers, magazines and snacks and we now offer free gift wrapping.”

The Memorial Hospital Gift Shop is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and Sunday, 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. For information about becoming a Memorial Hospital Auxiliary volunteer, call 410-822-1000, ext. 5839.