Congressman MacArthur Announces Grants for South Jersey to Combat Opioids

Toms River, New Jersey – Co-chair of the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force, Congressman Tom MacArthur, today announced two grants, totaling $250,000 for local organizations combating opioid abuse. The Riverfront Coalition in Burlington County and the DART Coalition of Ocean County were each awarded $125,000 to assist them in their efforts to prevent drug abuse.

“As co-chair of the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force in Congress, I am always looking for ways to bring more resources to our community to combat the opioid epidemic. I have been a staunch supporter of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and stood up to leaders in my own party who worked to cut its funding. These grants are going to help local organizations who are doing incredible work to save lives every day,” said Congressman Tom MacArthur. “These grants – awarded through the Drug-Free Communities Support Program – will help towns invest in furthering youth education on the dangers of drug abuse, and introduce new programs to help those battling addiction. This issue is bigger than one of us, but it’s not bigger than all of us working together.”

The DFC Support Program is designed with the belief that local problems need local solutions by leveraging local, community centered resources. Money allocated through this program will be dedicated to data-driven efforts to address this complex social issue. The ONDCP, which oversees DFC Support Program, was slated to be defunded under the President’s budget. As co-chair of the bipartisan Heroin Task Force in Congress, Congressman MacArthur led a bipartisan group of members who successfully fought the President to keep the ONDCP and its related programs funded. 

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