Ines Hamil gets her prescriptions filled at a Stop and Shop pharmacy in New Dorp, Staten Island and she says even with an insurance plan, it's getting costly.

"You can see, I paid $20 just for one prescription today, so you know, every little bit helps," said Hamil.

Hamil says she was thrilled to find out that Stop and Shop pharmacies across the country are now giving out 36 different kinds of antibiotics for free. The medicines range from penicillin to SMZ, a drug that is used to treat urinary tract infections.

"Familiar things that people would know is the "pink liquid," amoxicillin, every mom or dad has that in their refrigerator - they're familiar with it," says Rodger Rosicki, the pharmacy manager at Stop and Shop.

It is the first time the Northeastern grocery chain has offered such a deal, and store management says it came up with the idea as a response to the troubled economy. Rosicki says company pharmacies were seeing that many customers who couldn't afford their medicine were simply going without.

"In one of our stores, a mom actually cried, because she was picking up two prescriptions for her children, and I guess for her it would have been the difference between maybe buying food and getting a prescription filled," says Rosicki.

Customers come in with their prescriptions, meet with the pharmacist to discuss any medical conditions or allergies and then have their information entered into the computer, to ensure the patient's safety. The medical history is then carefully reviewed by the pharmacist for any potential problems with medicines.

There are no questions asked in terms of medical coverage. It is open to everyone, so people with a plan can still qualify and pay a small co-pay.

The program runs until March 21.

Hamil says she knows plenty of elderly people who could benefit.

"They have so many prescriptions to take care of, you know? It's a lot," she says.

She also plans to take advantage of this program while she can.