PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles Citizen Action Network, aka PA CAN, will continue its efforts to address the community’s illicit-drug problem in its third meeting at The Landing mall conference room Wednesday.
All concerned residents are invited to the 6:30 p.m. discussion in the conference room, which is upstairs in The Landing mall, 115 E. Railroad Ave.
PA CAN formed last month when members of Revitalize Port Angeles, the grass-roots group, posted their concerns about the problem of heroin, methamphetamine and other narcotics plaguing the city and its environs.
During meetings June 11 and July 9, a mix of public health workers, drug treatment counselors, recovering addicts and volunteers grappled with how to begin tackling the issue.
Now three projects are in the works.
One is a syringe- and needle-pickup effort to be part of Revitalize Port Angeles’ city parks cleanup this Saturday; information about the project, which is slated to cover Erickson Playfield, Jessie Webster Park, Francis Street Park and adjacent Waterfront Trail and Lincoln Park can be found at www.RevitalizePortAngeles.org.
PA CAN has also begun a diaper drive to support parents at The Answer for Youth (TAFY), the Port Angeles drop-in center for homeless and at-risk young people, many of whom suffer from the effects of addiction.
Also planned is an Aug. 31 citywide vigil to raise awareness about the drug-overdose problem here.
“We are getting as many social agencies as possible into one room to talk about what is working and what isn’t working,” said Angie Gooding, an organizer of the meetings and a Stevens Middle School teacher who says she sees illicit drugs affecting her students.
“If you are concerned about the heroin and meth use in Port Angeles, or you care about someone who is affected by drug addiction, we need your voice to be heard,” she writes on PA CAN’s Facebook page.
Wednesday’s meeting “will be about setting priorities, planning the vigil and focusing our mission statement,” Gooding added.
To find out more about PA CAN, search for Port Angeles Citizen Action Network on Facebook or see www.RevitalizePortAngeles.org.
