Help us save lives with Harm Reduction Supplies!

Hi everyone! Thanks for taking a minute to check out this fundraiser. For anyone who doesn’t know, I have spent the last six years working at a local HIV Prevention nonprofit organization, providing Harm Reduction and overdose prevention services for people who use drugs in the Hudson Valley region. One of the primary focuses of our services is to provide supplies for people who may not have the ability to purchase these materials on their own. Most people who visit our harm reduction programs lack stable housing, employment, transportation, or food. Our programs help folks connect to these services when they’re being sought out; however so often, there are not enough resources available for all of the people who need them. With this reality in mind, we try to give people whatever supplies they would generally be spending their limited time, energy, and money on so that they have one less thing to worry about. The best way to think about this is – if someone is going to be spending their money on this anyway, that means they have to make the money. When considering some of the dangerous and unsafe conditions that people in vulnerable, powerless positions subject themselves to in order to make money, we want to eliminate some of that risk and danger however we feasibly can.

Some examples of these life-saving supplies we currently give out are: safer sex kits (free condoms & lube), bleach kits (for people to clean their syringes if they need to be reused), and Fentanyl test kits (so people can test any powder-based substance for the presence of fentanyl before use) as well as Narcan kits, so people can be prepared to reverse opioid overdoses.

As so many of the needs of our community are constantly shifting due to an ever-evolving contaminated drug supply, and fluctuation of local resources, there is no one size fits all procedure in place to meet every need of every person, so we frequently take tips from other programs across the state, country, and world. One practice that has been in place for decades across many harm reduction programs is the distribution of safer use supplies to accommodate people who use drugs that don’t inject. Particularly in the age of Opiates and prescription pills, it’s safe to say that there are just as many folks who snort or smoke their drugs as those who inject them. One hundred six thousand lives were lost in 2021 to preventable overdoses, including all different routes of administration.

This has left our programs and staff with the constant question – how can we build meaningful connections and support people who are using drugs but not injecting them? Injecting is generally considered the route of administration associated with the most risk, however there is still plenty of risks that can come along with smoking and snorting, particularly when supplies are unsanitary and being reused, which for many people is the reality they’re faced with.

It was a no-brainer that we needed to distribute these supplies to our clients. We were fortunate to receive a limited donation of various smoking and snorting supplies to test how receptive the community would be.

Surprise to no one, all the supplies went out faster than we could keep track of, engagement was increased throughout all of our program sites, and we now have dozens of clients across the Hudson Valley visiting us specifically to seek out these supplies. Sadly, due to many grant-funded programs' outdated and restrictive nature, our programs have no way to pay for these supplies. No funders will allow us to purchase these items, bringing me to this fundraiser and where we need your help!

With the help and encouragement of my colleagues, I’m asking everyone I know for monetary donations through this GoFundMe, so that we can purchase as many safer-use supplies as possible and stock our outreach programs with them. Every dollar will be put directly toward purchasing these items, which we will then assemble into ‘kits’ and give out to the community.

Please consider a small (or big! whatever you can!) donation, and sharing this fundraiser as widely as you can. We are on a mission to give our clients exactly what they are asking for, and would be so grateful for your help in making this possible :)