By East End Now | Auxio.tv News
One of the East End’s best-known landmarks will take on a different meaning at the end of the month.
The Big Duck in Flanders is scheduled to be illuminated in purple on Monday, August 31, at 7:00 p.m. in recognition of International Overdose Awareness Day and the start of National Recovery Month.
The event is being hosted by HUGS, Inc. and SAFE in Southampton in partnership with the Town of Southampton.
The purple lighting is meant to honor people lost to overdose, support families affected by substance use, and recognize those who are in recovery.
That may sound symbolic, but symbols matter when a community is dealing with a problem that is often hidden behind silence, stigma and grief.
Overdose is not an issue that belongs to one neighborhood or one kind of family. It has touched communities across Long Island, including the East End. Public awareness events like this are meant to make clear that the conversation cannot stop at sympathy alone. Prevention, education, treatment and recovery support all have to remain part of the public discussion.
Town officials and community partners are using the event to encourage residents to learn the signs of overdose, carry naloxone, dispose of unused medications safely and support people seeking help.
The Big Duck lighting also marks the beginning of Recovery Month in September, which focuses on hope as much as loss.
For Southampton Town, the message is a simple one: this is a community issue, and it requires a community response.
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