GREENFIELD — Nine hundred and seventy-one people died of an opioid-related overdose in Massachusetts in 2025, including 12 Franklin County residents.
Speaking to those gathered on the Greenfield Common on Monday, Sara Fletcher, a peer recovery coach with The RECOVER Project, urged community members to remember that these 971 individuals were more than just victims of addiction. They were daughters, sons, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, friends and beloved community members.
“We gather to remember the lives lost to overdose — beloved children, parents, siblings, partners, friends, neighbors and community members, whose absence is felt every day,” Fletcher said. “Their lives were more than the struggles they faced. They were laughter, stories, talents, hopes, relationships, love. … They are missed deeply and their memory will never be reduced to how they die.”
Fletcher explained that the purple hearts displayed around the common arose from family members’ wishes to remember their loved ones. By writing their names and stories on a paper heart, they could honor the “lives behind the statistics.”
Purple hearts line the Greenfield Common in recognition of International Opioid Overdose Awareness Day on Monday. Credit: MADISON SCHOFIELD / Staff Photo 
Sara Fletcher, a peer recovery coach with The RECOVER Project, gave the opening remarks during Monday’s vigil on the Greenfield Common in observance of Opioid Overdose Awareness Day. Credit: MADISON SCHOFIELD / Staff Photo 
Community members march from The RECOVER Project on Federal Street to the Greenfield Common as part of an observance of Opioid Overdose Awareness Day. Credit: MADISON SCHOFIELD / Staff Photo 
A vigil was held at the Greenfield Common on Monday in observance of International Overdose Awareness Day. Credit: MADISON SCHOFIELD / Staff Photo 
Community members left tea candles in front of a sign remembering loved ones who died of an opioid-related overdose during a vigil on the Greenfield Common on Monday. Credit: MADISON SCHOFIELD / Staff Photo
Sarah Ahern, chair of the city’s Opioid Use and Prevention Commission, read a proclamation from the Mayor’s Office declaring Aug. 31 as Opioid Overdose Awareness Day, and read aloud a list of names community members wished to remember.
Ahern recounted how she herself survived an overdose, and how she has worked as an emergency medical technician, where she saw even more overdoses. To prevent future overdoses and help with recovery, she said people need to look beyond stigmas, and provide compassion and support. She added that communities need to provide resources such as housing, transportation and treatment.
“We cannot give up on people, even when they give up on themselves,” Ahern said. “We cannot decide that someone is beyond help because they are still using, because they have returned to use. … Recovery is rarely a straight line.
“Human beings are not programs; we are complicated,” she continued. “We struggle, we make progress, sometimes you lose breath. And we remain worthy of care.”
While community members held a vigil in Greenfield, in Boston, Gov. Maura Healey, First Lady Joanna Lydgate, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and others recognized Opioid Overdose Awareness Day by placing 20,000 purple flags on the Boston Common.
“Today, we remember the people we have lost to overdose and stand with the families and friends who carry that grief every day,” Healey said in a statement. “Behind every flag is a life, a story and a community that still feels that loss. We will honor them by continuing to expand the proven services that prevent overdoses, support recovery and save lives.”
International Overdose Awareness Day also represents the beginning of National Recovery Month in September, which celebrates those in all stages of addiction recovery and the work being done to support them.
“There is no shame in needing help,” Fletcher said. “Addiction does not erase a person’s worth, and struggle does not make anyone less deserving of care, safety and compassion.”
In a statement, Bureau of Substance Addiction Services Director Deirdre Calvert said that statewide, the number of opioid-related fatal overdoses in 2025 dropped below 1,000 for the first time since 2013, but more work is needed. In Franklin County, opioid-related overdose deaths remained level between 2024 and 2025.
“Stigma around substance use can prevent people from reaching out for help, but we can all play a role in combating this by bringing care and compassion to the words that we use and our programs and services,” Calvert said. “We are incredibly grateful that Massachusetts overdose deaths are down, and we must continue to build on that momentum. These declines show us that when we make investments in evidence-based, public health approaches that promote the health, safety and dignity of those who use substances, it works.”
In Greenfield, Ahern said that to honor loved ones and help prevent future overdose deaths, people should advocate for increased resources.
“We are facing a time when funding for prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery services is being reduced or is increasingly uncertain,” Ahern said. “When funding disappears, it may be a recovery coach who is no longer available. … It may be naloxone that does not reach the person who needs it. … These are not extras; they are a part of the system that keeps people alive.”
If you are struggling with substance use, or have a family member, friend, neighbor or colleague who may need support, call the Massachusetts Substance Use Helpline at 800-327-5050 or visit helplinema.org. Residents can also visit The RECOVER Project at 68 Federal St. in Greenfield, which is open six days a week starting at 8:30 a.m. The office closes at 7:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, 8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 p.m. on Fridays, and 11 a.m. on Saturdays.
