Volunteers for Shred the Stigma gather every other Saturday to build kits containing fentanyl testing strips and clean syringes.
Harm reduction programs, like Shred the Stigma, work to connect people who use drugs with overdose reversal medication, resources for mental health care and substance use treatment, and education and equipment for safer drug use to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
Shred the Stigma, founded in 2021, relies on volunteer drivers to distribute the kits across the Oklahoma City metro area. So far, the group says drivers have traveled nearly 28,000 miles across the city to deliver kits, which it says have helped reverse over 2,100 overdoses.
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“For people who use drugs, a lot of times, we’re the only resource they’re engaging with because they trust us,” said Kriston Ahlefeld, a board member with Shred the Stigma. “We say the same things and make the same resources available, but they’re more likely to engage with us than they are other services.”…