Community members gathered at Pioneer Park in Santa Maria on Saturday to raise awareness of substance use and overdose.
The local group "Let's Make a Difference" invited speakers to share their experiences with drug addiction and held a remembrance ceremony for those they've lost from overdose.
The president of the organization, Danielle Murillo, lost her son to an overdose five years ago and says the goal of the event is to break the stigma of overdoses.
“Addiction is a disease and if we don't talk about it, we're not going to help anyone. We need to make sure that we're not shaming people for that and the more we talk about it, the more help we're going to provide,” said Murillo.
The group also had a silent auction and a barbeque fundraiser. Organizers say all proceeds stay in the community to assist those struggling with substance abuse.
