Oceanside to work together to overcome drug overdose

A day for planting flowers, educating and creating a safe space for those who have lost their loved ones; that is what the Oceanside Safe Coalition hopes for with their second annual event being held in participation of International Overdose Awareness Day.

Oceanside Safe, alongside Kiwanis and a few of their sponsors, will be gathering at School House Green on Thursday, August 25, to allow attending community members to commemorate the lives of those lost to overdose with the planting of purple flowers. From 6 to 8 p.m., members of the community are asked to come together to learn more about how to prevent overdose and to even receive free Narcan training.

“We really wanted to make sure that we came together, not only to support friends and family who lost loved ones, but to really raise awareness about overdose,” said Alison Eriksen, the project coordinator of Oceanside SAFE. “It’s a really important event for us for education purposes, while also highlighting and remembering everybody that we did lose in the community.”