A grassroots group on a mission to raise awareness about the heroin epidemic in Wayne County is growing.
Gerald Margraf took us on a tour of the new offices of the Wayne County Heroin Prevention Task Force office near Honesdale, the latest way the grassroots group is trying to stem the tide of the highly addictive, deadly drug.
"It is bad here, our overdose rates continue to climb," said Margraf. "We`re around 10 [overdose deaths] and we`re just into August. It's not stopping anytime soon."
The non-profit runs its programs out of the office along Route 6 including an overdose prevention course. Training, education and kits including a life-saving drug come at a cost.
"For 15 people it costs $1,500 per class to send through here, it`s an hour and a half Narcan training class," he said.
In comes the task force's gun raffle set up for the week at the Wayne County Fair raising money for the cause.
"Heroin is a huge problem around here, but also around the United States. I don`t think enough funding or research to combat the problem. What they're doing is great," said Joseph Verdi of Suffolk County, New York.
The Wayne County Heroin Prevention Task Force is just 2 years old, in that amount of time the group has raised money in order to get that office building, and hold fundraiser like the gun raffle and another event this upcoming weekend.
Inside CrossFit Blue Ridge near Milford, women were doing the kinds of workouts planned for the event CrossFit at the Lake, Sunday on the football field at Wallenpaupack Area High School which will benefit the task force.
Some recovering addicts work out at the gym, according to organizers.
"This good habit helps them replace a bad habit. It kind of helps keep them on the right road, hits home in the gym here," said Mike Repecki of CrossFit Blue Ridge.
