Pillumina is proud to announce its partnership with Purdue University’s Center for Health Excellence, Quality and Innovation (CHEQI) and Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana in support of the Patterson-McCallum-Mareta Charitable Pharmacy (PMMCP), a pioneering initiative that combines improved healthcare access with environmental sustainability.
The pharmacy was formally unveiled during a ribbon cutting on July 24, 2025, at Gleaners’ south Indianapolis facility. As the first standalone charitable pharmacy in Central Indiana, PMMCP will expand access to life-saving medications for individuals facing financial and health insecurity, while eliminating single-use plastic from the point of care.
Slated to open this fall, the pharmacy will operate within Gleaners Food Bank and serve uninsured and underinsured individuals earning up to 300% of the Federal Poverty Level. Patients will receive free prescription and over-the-counter medications, select medical devices, and pharmacist-led chronic disease management services. Licensed pharmacists and Purdue student pharmacists will provide critical clinical services, education, and medication counseling, delivering compassionate, personalized care to communities that need it most.
Pillumina’s founders, Peter Daheb and Abe Matar, were quick to recognize the impact this initiative could have and offered their enthusiastic support from the outset, reinforcing the company’s commitment to innovation, sustainability, and improved healthcare.
“When Jasmine first reached out and shared the vision for this groundbreaking initiative, we were immediately inspired,” said Peter Daheb, Co-Founder and CEO of Pillumina. “The Patterson-McCallum-Mareta Charitable Pharmacy represents exactly the kind of impact Pillumina wants to have on communities where health equity and environmental responsibility go hand in hand. We're honored to support an organization that is reimaging access to care with compassion and innovation at its core.”
Medications dispensed through the pharmacy will be packaged in Pillumina’s infinitely recyclable aluminum pill bottles, which offer a safer and more sustainable alternative to conventional plastic vials. The bottles meet the safety and durability requirements of pharmaceutical packaging but also set a new standard for sustainability. Pillumina's bottles can be recycled infinitely without losing quality, strength or integrity. Aluminum production is a closed loop lifecycle and when recycled, is used to make new aluminum products without being downcycled or turned into waste.
“Thanks to Pillumina’s recyclable aluminum vials, we’ll be able to provide medications more safely while supporting a cleaner, healthier environment for our neighbors,” said Jasmine D. Gonzalvo, PharmD, MPH, CDCES, FADCES, the Chris and Theresa Dimos Director of CHEQI and clinical professor at Purdue’s Department of Pharmacy Practice. “We’re excited for the impact this partnership between our Charitable Pharmacy onsite at a local food bank and Pillumina will have on the well-being of the community. We’re truly grateful for this shared commitment to optimizing care for medically underserved communities.”
The pharmacy was created in response to data collected in Gleaners’ 2022 Voice of Our Neighbors survey, which identified medication affordability and access as two of the top concerns among food-insecure households. By colocating pharmaceutical services with a food pantry, the pharmacy creates a more holistic and accessible model. It reduces the number of visits needed and removes logistical barriers to care.
While 90% of the U.S. population lives within five miles of a community pharmacy, proximity alone is not enough to overcome healthcare challenges. For underserved populations, the cost of healthcare and prescription medications remains a significant barrier. The pharmacists and student pharmacists learning beside them volunteering at the charitable pharmacy play a vital role in breaking down these barriers by providing medications free of charge, along with trusted, personalized counseling. This approach ensures patients not only receive their medications but also gain the knowledge they need to use them effectively and safely.
The Patterson-McCallum-Mareta Charitable Pharmacy is named in honor of the family of Brooke Patterson, a Purdue alumna and the founding donor of the initiative. Over the next year, CHEQI will oversee the expansion of pharmacy services and clinical programming, with a continued focus on improving health outcomes through innovation, collaboration, and compassion.
For Courtney Woo, PharmD, Head of Market Expansion at Pillumina, the partnership holds deep personal meaning.
“I was raised by a single mother and consistent access to healthcare was often a challenge for us. However, the pharmacy was always a reliable resource. My mother would take me to the pharmacist’s counter to seek guidance when a doctor’s visit was not affordable. That formative experience inspired my decision to become a pharmacist,” said Woo. “It is deeply and personally meaningful to support Purdue’s free clinic through Pillumina and empower pharmacists, the most accessible healthcare providers in the country, to protect both their patients and the planet.”
Pillumina is committed to eliminating plastic waste from the pharmacy supply chain. Its durable, non-reactive aluminum pill bottles are designed to be infinitely recyclable and are compatible with standard pharmacy workflows. By offering a safe and sustainable alternative to plastic prescription bottles, Pillumina helps pharmacies meet compliance and environmental goals without compromising patient care. Learn more at pillumina.com.
Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 107,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 58,000 at our main campus in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row. Follow the link to see how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap, including its comprehensive urban expansion, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative.
Gleaners was founded in 1980 by a group of citizens committed to the belief that no one should go hungry. Since that time, we have grown to be the largest hunger relief organization in Indiana. As one of 200 member food banks in the Feeding America Network, Gleaners provides nutritious food to roughly one-third of the food insecure population in Indiana. We achieve this through our own initiatives and by serving as a wholesale distributor through a committed network of more than 300 network partners in our 21-county service area. To learn more, visit the Gleaners website.
Media Contact
Courtney Woo
Head of Market Expansion, Pillumina
courtney@pillumina.com
