Market Street Mission, Jersey Shore Rescue Mission Observe International Overdose Awareness Day

International Overdose Awareness Day, held on August 31st, is a day that is close to the heart and work of the Market Street Mission in Morristown, along with their Jersey Shore Rescue Mission location in Asbury Park and the Market Street Mission Sussex County location in Newton.

According to the International Overdose Awareness Day website, this day is “the world’s largest annual campaign to end overdose, remember without stigma those who have died and acknowledge the grief of the family and friends left behind.”

Patrick Tansey, the Clinical Director of the Market Street Mission and Jersey Shore Rescue Mission, said, “in our long-term residential recovery program, we are doing our part to offer treatment to those at risk for overdose. We provide them with a safe drug-free environment, daily chapel services, individual and group counseling, and other services and tools to help them achieve long-term sobriety. The consequences of addiction are high, and on International Overdose Awareness Day, we remember those we’ve lost to overdose and renew our commitment to end overdose and related harms. All the services we provide at the Market Street Mission and Jersey Shore Rescue Mission are offered to our clients free of charge. From our clients, their families, and everyone at the Mission, I want to thank those who support our programs and make them possible.”

August 31^st is a day for our nation to come together to honor those who lost their lives to overdose and support their loved ones who are hurting, while also spreading the message that there is hope for recovery. That is the goal of the Market Street Mission and Jersey Shore Rescue Mission: “to surround our neighbors struggling with addiction with God’s love and everything they need to find healing and rebuild their lives.”  

Preliminary data from the CDC National Center for Health Statistics shows that more than 107,000 people died of a drug overdose in the 12-month period ending in December 2021. Around 75% of these deaths involved opioids, particularly synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Further, 3,000 of those total overdose deaths occurred in New Jersey.

The Market Street Mission and Jersey Shore Rescue Mission men’s long-term residential program is a 12-step, abstinence-based program that gives residents the opportunity to rebuild their lives physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Not only do they help men overcome their addictions, but programs are structured to help them work through the deeper struggles that led to their substance abuse in the first place.

If you or anyone you know needs help, please reach out to the Market Street Mission (9 Market Street, Morristown, NJ) at 973-538-0431 or www.marketstreet.org; the Jersey Shore Rescue Mission (701 Memorial Drive, Asbury Park, NJ) at 732-988-0242 or www.jsrescue.org; or the Market Street Mission – Sussex County (274 Spring Street, Newton, NJ) at 973-538-5854 or www.marketstreet.org/sussex. Their programs are completely free.

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The Market Street Mission and Jersey Shore Rescue Mission are an experienced organization with a proven method of helping to fight alcoholism, substance abuse, hunger, and homelessness in northern and central New Jersey. As a private non-profit we rely on the charitable support of compassionate donors to provide more than 110,000 meals and 30,000 nights of shelter per year across our three locations. For more information on our emergency services, free addiction recovery program, community counseling services and thrift store please visit us at www.marketstreet.org or www.jsrescue.org.