Methuen Police Department is hosting the second annual Community Addiction Resource Engagement Services Vigil at the end of the month in honor of International Overdose Awareness Day.
International Overdose Awareness Day takes place Thursday, Aug. 31, from 6 to 8 p.m., at Riverside Park, to raise awareness about overdoses and reduce the stigma of addiction and overdose related deaths. It is also meant to recognize the grief felt by family and friends whose loved ones have died or have a permanent injury as a result of an overdose.
“It’s time for us all to come together and acknowledge the opioid epidemic as a public health crisis,” Mayor Stephen N. Zanni said.
The vigil includes a video montage, lighting and paintings by Angels of Addictions. Anne Marie Farley Zanfagna, who lost her daughter to addiction, paints pictures of those who have lost their life to addiction.
Police Chief Joseph E. Solomon said, “This vigil is an opportunity to remember those we have lost and recognize that the tragedy of an overdose is preventable.”
CARES is also be handing out memorial seeds for residents to plant in memory of lost loved ones.
For more information, call Jennifer Burns at 978-701-7782 or Jacquelyn Ingersoll at 978-701-8195.