Soldiers of Hope needs support during pandemic

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - A local overdose awareness group says more people are overdosing and relapsing during the pandemic. 

They say some of them are too fresh in their recovery to be facing this pandemic alone without their support systems or accountability from speciality courts.

"We haven’t been able to have our awareness events. We haven’t been able to do fundraisers, which is really important because it’s harder for us to get Narcan now than it used to be."

--Kathy Chin, founder of Soldiers of Hope

Soldiers of Hope was hit hard by the pandemic because the lack of community outreach equates to a lack of donations for the organization. They say it is difficult for them to afford the overdose reversal drug, Narcan, which is needed to save people from opioid overdose. 

Narcan is expensive and Soldiers of Hope only receives boxes every 3 months. The community outreach they depend on is limited due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Volunteers can no longer attend meetings to offer their services to the local recovery community and recruit new Soldiers of Hope.

The awareness group also assists with getting recovery members into the counseling, detox and/or rehabilitation services they need. Donations from the community usually help fund these efforts.

The organization leads community drug awareness events to let people know how serious the drug problem is in Idaho Falls. These events have been cancelled due to the pandemic. Soldiers of Hope planned to participate in the Fourth of July parade. They wanted to show pictures of people lost to overdose as a means of putting faces to the local opioid epidemic story.

“It’s a challenge for any business and especially for us. We go out and do all these things with so many different people and our whole mission is about outreach. It’s hard to go out there in the middle of the pandemic.”

--Allen Abood, co-founder of Soldiers of Hope

Soldiers of Hope gives back to the community as well. They recently donated $500 worth of food to the Rescue Mission from proceeds they earned from one of their benefit shows. 

To support Soldiers of Hope, donations can be made through Venmo using the account Soldiers of Hope IF. They also accept checks.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction or would like to donate, you can contact Soldiers of Hope at 208-357-6220.