Purple chairs will line the parking lot of a church parking lot in Maple Ridge on Wednesday, Aug. 31, symbolically empty to remember those who have died from an drug overdose in a crisis that has hit the Lower Mainland hard.
The chairs will be part of an event to mark International Overdose Awareness Day which will also include a clothing giveaway, free treats from Dairy Queen and Blenz Coffee, and training in the administering of Naloxone.
Jesse Sokol with Non-Judgmental Recovery Society in Maple Ridge, the group behind the event, said first and foremost they want to recognize the toxicity supply of drugs in the province and being there for those that have lost people during the crisis.
“We will be representing that with some purple chairs and some purple ribbons throughout the location,” he said.
They will be handing out a limited supply of men’s and women’s clothing for those that are on the street, along with other accessories and items that the group has in excess like jewellery and tarps. They will also be giving out Dairy Queen gift certificates, and iced coffee from Blenz Coffee.
They will also be offering Naloxone training to anyone who wishes to learn how to administer it and giving away Naloxone kits.
The training will be given by a team who are already trained themselves in how to administer the drug.
Sokol said the recommend people have at least two kits on them to help in an emergency. But, he said, when dealing with an overdose, most important is to monitor the person’s breathing.
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“And knowing what somebody may be poisoned with,” he said.
Naloxone doesn’t always work all the time, so just making sure somebody is breathing is important while waiting for paramedics.
Non-Judgmental Recovery supports recovery from addiction through a holistic and non judgmental approach to wellness along, and connects those needing help to community based support services, including: outreach; education; employment; and housing.
“We believe that recovery is the ultimate harm reduction,” said Sokol.
“We’ve actually moved many people off of the streets of Maple Ridge into recovery,” he said.
“We’ve had 49 transports as well. So, 49 people that we’ve transported off of the streets and into recovery,” he noted, adding that they had 100 referrals since October.
The Non-Judgmental Recovery Society’s International Overdose Awareness Day event takes place from 3:30-5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 31 at Ridge Church, the corner of 222 Street and Lougheed Highway.
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