AURORA, Colo. — A lot is happening inside the Aurora warehouse where Hope Starts Here Food Bank stores its donations.
Fred Wright is the director of operations. He’s in charge of making sure they’re stocked with food and that the community has access to those items, including Narcan.
“It’s a hugely important drug,” said Wright.
Narcan is an over-the-counter, life-saving medication that can reverse an opioid overdose.
“It’s a terrible situation just not having an option if you’re sitting there watching somebody breathe their last breath,” said Wright. “With Narcan, that last breath can be reversed and the start of a new beginning.”
It’s a chance Wright wants everyone to have, which is why he said they recently added the medication to their list of items. Like all the items at the food bank, Narcan is available at no cost.
“The Narcan came up because we were just trying to get a few doses for our first aid kit and when we found out the state of Colorado wanted us to be a distributor of it, we thought that it was a natural fit,” said Wright.
Wright said they hosted a distribution event in October, and Kendra Cerda was one of the few who picked up a box of Narcan.
“I just wanted to be safe,” said Cerda.
Cerda is a volunteer at Hope Starts Here Food Bank. She’s also been prescribed opioids for medical reasons.
“I think everybody who takes a narcotic should have it in their home just to be safe,” said Cerda. “You never know.”
Wright agrees. “Even if you’re on legal drugs, you could overdose and if you have Narcan, it saves your life,” he said.
He’s encouraging other Colorado food banks to follow suit to save lives.
Hope Starts Here Food Bank distributes food twice a month by reservation only. But Wright said you can contact them anytime if you want to pick up Narcan, no questions asked.
Naloxone is another drug that helps prevent opioid overdose deaths. For details on where to find the life-saving drug, click here.
For information on substance abuse treatment, call The SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.
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