For the fifth year, “Drug Take Back Day” will be coming to Tellico Village.
Sponsored by the Tellico Community Foundation (TCF), this event has had an “amazing local impact,” according to a press release from the Tellico Community Foundation.
During the past four events, TCF and local law enforcement officers have collected 1,115 pounds of unused medications from hundreds of Villagers! This year’s drop-off locations are the parking lots at the Tellico Village Welcome Center and the Kahite Clubhouse.
Times are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 27.
Drop-off is quick and secure, event organizers said. TCF volunteers will walk up to your car, collect your medications, and give them to on-site law enforcement.
The officers secure the drugs in sealed bins and oversee transfer to regional centers for incineration.
Cathy Nyberg, a board member and Drug Take Back Day coordinator, stated: “This event is a major service to our community — both from a safety perspective as well as environmental protection.
“As a board member of the Tellico Community Foundation, I am proud of our focus in assisting Monroe and Loudon residents in making this a better place to live.”
Since its inception in 2010, DEA’s bi-annual National Prescription Take Back Day has removed more than 17 million pounds of unnecessary medications from nearly 5,000 communities across the country.
Drug Take Back Day has helped Americans easily rid their homes of unneeded medications — those that are old, unwanted or expired.
These medications can be a gateway to addiction and have helped fuel the opioid epidemic, the TCF press release stated. Rather than dispose of the drugs via the waste systems that pollute the environment, April 27, 2024, will be a day of safe and protected disposal across the nation and in our own community.
“Communities across the country again answered the call to rid their homes of unneeded medications to protect loved ones from deadly drugs and drug poisonings,” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram stated in a release.
“National Prescription Drug Take Back Day continues to protect our communities and create healthier environments by offering safe disposal of prescription medications.”
TELLICO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Since 2017, the Tellico Community Foundation has contributed approximately $300,000 to nonprofits serving Loudon and Monroe counties. Its mission is to enrich the Loudon and Monroe communities by funding programs and projects that provide support for seniors and promote healthy childhood development.
The Tellico Community Foundation is an affiliate fund of the East Tennessee Foundation.
To learn more, to donate or to become involved visit www.tellicolife.org/tellico-community-foundation or https://easttennesseefoundation.org/donors/explore-our-funds/affiliate-funds/monroe-county/tellico-community-foundation/
