On February 12th at 9:30 am, the Social Action Committee of Temple Shalom will sponsor a free breakfast program open to the community to address the current opiate drug and heroin epidemic. Temple Shalom is located at 5 Ayrmont Lane in Aberdeen.

This is a program to educate parents, teachers, students and other concerned community members about the practical risk factors involved with opioid and heroin abuse. The program will cover understanding addictive behaviors, the stigma involved and where to go for help.

Doug Collier, a retired DEA agent who works with the New Jersey Attorney General's Office to educate the public on this topic, will be the featured speaker. He has served on the Governor's Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (GCADA). He brings his 30 years of experience to the program and will share his knowledge and experience on the risk factors of opioids and heroin and how it affects the individual. He will discuss “the red flags” to look out for and what to do about them. We will learn where to go for resources.

There will also be a panel that includes two mothers, one whose son OD’d and one whose daughter is in recovery. The program will include a Q and A period.

For more information, contact Lenore Robinson at paullenrob@verizon.net or 732-264-2458.