Ritesh Shah Charitable Pharmacy Celebrates $1,000,000 in Donations

By:  | December 22, 2024 |  | 

By Emma Sylvia

Dr. Ritesh Shah of Freehold turned a somber occasion into a movement that benefits hundreds. Three years ago he went to India to celebrate Diwali and see his sister, Rena for the first time in 25 years. Tragically, Rena contracted the Covid-19 virus and passed away shortly before Shah arrived. Shaken up by the event, Shah and his wife, Dr. Asha Shah, decided that the best way to honor Rena was to take action. “What happened to me, I don’t want to happen to anyone because they don’t have access to medicine.” Thus, the pharmacist duo established the Ritesh Shah Charitable Pharmacy. 

The Pharmacy opened in Red Bank two years ago, becoming New Jersey’s first charitable pharmacy. Beginning at first with just Dr. Asha Shah returning to her white coat, the pharmacy now has volunteer pharmacists, paid part-time pharmacists, and board members. Truly unique and needed in NJ, the Charitable Pharmacy received their certificate from the state, needing a new certificate to be made just for NJ’s only charitable pharmacy. The entire foundation began privately funded and was supported with the help of friends and family. Over time, the pharmacy received immense support from the state, and was awarded a $100,000 grant for medication. Dr. Ritesh Shah points this success in the direction of his late sister.

“This is how it was born,” he elaborates. “Just to pay respect and tribute to brother-sister love. To help those who don’t have any means of getting medications because they’re struggling to put food on the table. I want to make sure that I’m there for them.”

Recently, the Ritesh Shah Charitable Pharmacy celebrates passing over $1 million in charitable donations. With said donations, over $200,000 worth of insulin has been dispensed, with the foundation being able to distribute eight different kinds of insulin at no cost to their customers. “We have more than 300 patients on medications,” Shah says. “One in three people in the country have diabetes and don’t know about it. It stays undiagnosed.” Despite some important diagnoses going unrecognized, the pharmacy’s work has not, with Senator Cory Booker spending time with the foundation recently to understand the work that they do. “It’s huge for me that the senator comes and spends time,” Shah says.

This October, the pharmacy celebrated American Pharmacist Month, holding an event for community leaders during National Pharmacy Week. Shah says, “They’ve done so much philanthropic work to give back to the community. We decided to honor individuals with those track records.” The breakfast hosted by the foundation featured a motley assortment of guests, including major hospital CEOs, nurses, healthcare professionals, politicians, the pharmacy’s board members, and more. Shah wished to demonstrate to the community “that there are so many good individuals out there.” At the breakfast, the pharmacy raised close to $50,000 in one morning, all going to helping people obtain insulin, blood pressure medicine, and other lifesaving medication. With work across Monmouth, Middlesex, and Union Counties, Shah is appreciative of the success of the event. “It was sold out, which is a good problem to have,” he says with a smile. 

Dr. Joseph Howe, an advisory board member of the pharmacy, says, “‘Medicine-man’ Ritesh Shah and his wife Asha are true healthcare heroes. The Ritesh Shah Charitable Pharmacy now sustains countless lives throughout the state by providing insulin, high blood pressure pills, and hundreds of other medications at no cost to those in need. Ritesh and Asha’s dedication to selfless service has led to the incredible distribution of $1 million in medication at no cost in just over two years since opening. The pharmacy’s success would not have been possible without the support of community leaders like Senator Vin Gopal, who has advocated tirelessly for the pharmacy since day one. Going into our third year, RSCP is more dedicated than ever to its mission and continues to expand and develop critical partnerships.”

With 2025 on the horizon, Shah is excited about the future. “My goal is to go to local universities and help the students. Students don’t need to suffer; we want to provide them resources, so that they can focus on studying and education.” Additionally, every year during the fall, the pharmacy focuses on bringing immunizations to the public, especially to allow students to safely attend school during flu season and [to protect] from the Covid-19 virus.

In April of 2025, the pharmacy will celebrate its third anniversary. “We want to make sure access for those that need it stays there,” Shah says. “We provide that compassionate, exceptional care to our patients.” He emphasizes the “power of pharmacy”, and how it can give back to the community, adding that such a power needs to be celebrated.

During the holiday season, Shah especially keeps in mind the ideals of Diwali. Shah says, “Diwali is coming, the festival of lights. How do you bring light into someone’s life with darkness? We want to make sure we remove the darkness from patients’ lives and celebrate Diwali this way. That’s the best way to celebrate Diwali. I never thought that when I lost my baby sister, that when we would open this charitable pharmacy, that it would turn into such a huge thing. A million dollars for patients that were underserved and had no means to get this medication? I’m thankful for God.”

Dr. Shah defines the Sanskrit word seva - selfless service, altruism that serves to provide growth. “Pharmacy is service,” he says. “Pharmacists grow as a service. I practice that by honoring my sister.”

To learn more about the Ritesh Shah Charitable Pharmacy, and how to donate and volunteer this holiday season, visit rscprx.org.