Nearly a hundred people gathered at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School on Saturday morning for a walk to raise awareness about the effects of addiction on the family and friends of those struggling with substance abuse.

Annabelle Metell, a senior at the regional high school, has organized a walk for Saturday called Break the Silence, which aims to help loved ones of those struggling with addiction.

The new court for people dealing with substance abuse opened in Edgartown District Court earlier this year with the goal of addressing the underlying addiction that often drives people repeatedly into the criminal justice system. 

The Vineyard House's annual Water Tasting By the Sea started as a small, grassroots event more than 25 years ago. It now attracts a crowd of 250 people and can bring in about 20 per cent of the annual donations for the sober home.

For Islanders wrestling with addiction, isolation and stress brought on by the coronavirus pandemic has made a perennial problem worse.

On Monday, a small red house on the campus of the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital begins operating as the Peer Recovery Support Center.

When a person is struggling with a substance use disorder on the Island, police officers are often among the first to know. Recently Edgartown police have begun to take a more intentional approach.

Community Services has been awarded $400,000 from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to open a recovery support center in partnership with the Island hospital.

About 60 people gathered Friday evening at Owen Park in Vineyard Haven to remember Islanders and loved ones who have been lost to overdoses.

A small crowd gathered at Five Corners Thursday evening to express frustration at the Island opioid epidemic.