Join us for a Community Meal to meet the people behind the free services and support available in Gloucester & the surrounding communities.

Meet:

TSWR - The Sun Will Rise Foundation - Peer Grief Support Groups and Events

HALO - Healing After Loss to Overdose - Family Overdose Support Fund

MOAR - Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery

SADOD - Support After Death by Overdose - Peer Grief Support Resources

CORE Peer Recovery & Resource Center- Supporting individuals and families in their many paths to recovery

Give-aways - Literature - Dinner- Community - Care - Free Services - Support - Raffles

All ages welcome

Registration appreciated but not required. (we’d like to prepare for the meal)

If you are a local community organization offering free services for those in or seeking recovery and/or grieving the death of someone they care about to a substance use related death, please join and bring your literature to share.

Learn more about Mosaic’s Community Hub. This platform was born from a desire for a dynamic, online, knowledge-sharing platform to help people in the field find and post opportunities for funding, jobs, upcoming events, publications, and information about current and promising interventions, services, and programs. Membership in Mosaic’s Community Hub is free and available to individuals, organizations, municipalities, and state agencies across Massachusetts. Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84192901899?pwd=2n7iYWhvBx3Rf8kJYbe3QAdUjGMmPo.1

Third Annual Men’s BBQ Sunday 5/31/26 1:00 pm Wrentham MA We are proud to sponsor this annual event hosted by Gilly’s House. Free for men bereaved due to substance use related causes or suicide. Come stand Shoulder to Shoulder with other men and enjoy a day of food, cornhole and community! Register here. Questions? David@thesunwillrise.org

In this beginner friendly class you will learn the basics of needle felting. The class will go through safety, tips and tricks and you will go home with the beginner knowledge of felting in three dimensions. Participants will transform carded wool fibers into beautiful cardinal. Registration required.

For adults and children12 and older.

Cost: FREE but requires a $20 per person deposit that you will receive back at the event. If you sign up and do not attend the event without giving us 10 days notice, the deposit is not refundable. We do this to be able to continue to offer events at no cost to you. Thanks for your understanding. Please don’t let the deposit be a barrier—if cost is an issue, just let us know. We’re committed to making this event accessible to everyone. If you have any accessibility needs (physical or otherwise), please reach out. We want to ensure everyone feels welcome and supported.

Questions? Contact Judy Kelly. judyannkelly@gmail.com 781-264-0557

Join us for a Community Meal to meet the people behind the free services and support available in Taunton MA & the surrounding communities.

Meet:

TSWR - The Sun Will Rise Foundation - Peer Grief Support Groups and Events

HALO - Healing After Loss to Overdose - Family Overdose Support Fund

MOAR - Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery

SADOD - Support After Death by Overdose - Peer Grief Support Resources

TAUNTON PEER RECOVERY - Supporting individuals and families in their recovery journey from SUD

Give-aways - Literature - Lunch - Community - Care - Free Services - Support - Raffles

All ages welcome

Registration appreciated but not required.  (we’d like to prepare for the meal)

If you are a local community organization offering free services for those in or seeking recovery and/or grieving the death of someone they care about to a substance use related death, please join and bring your literature to share.

SADOD’s May Psychoeducational Virtual Workshop How to Become and Advocate Tuesday, May 26, 2026 from 6:30–8:00 pm ET. For some people, grief brings not only pain, but questions about how to create change. This workshop features three bereaved mothers, Robyn Houston-Bean, Barbara Allen & Joyal Mulhern, who have all transformed their loss into advocacy at local, regional, and national levels. Through their stories, participants will explore how advocacy can take many forms, and how getting involved can be approached in ways that feel intentional, sustainable, and aligned with personal values. This virtual workshop will be held and will be recorded. Learn more and REGISTER HERE. Free for MA residents (use code MASS). $10 for those outside MA. Email Laura@sadod.org if cost is a concern.

A movement based workshop for people bereaved due to substance use related causes.

This Joy Culture Movement Workshop led by Rasheeda Faulk, creates spaces where movement feels approachable.

You do not need to know how to dance.
You do not need to be “good” at anything.
The hardest part is just showing up.

Rasheeda’s approach is simple:
just have fun and move your body in a way that feels right to you.

This workshop, held in collaboration with Mad Moms, The Phoenix & Newform is designed to be a safe, supportive space where people bereaved due to substance use related causes can:

• release tension

• reconnect with their body

• experience moments of joy without pressure.

For ages 18+

Why Movement Matters in Grief

Movement can support both emotional and physical healing. Participants may experience:

• reduced stress

• improved mood

• increased energy

• a sense of connection and release

  REGISTRATION REQUIRED!

Questions? Contact Leslie@thesunwillrise.org or david@thesunwillrise.org

For anyone 18+ bereaved due to a substance use related cause seeking extra support on this Mother's Day.

Zoom Link

PLEASE NOTE: WE HAVE FILLED THE SPOTS. COMPLETE THE REGISTRATION TO BE ADDED TO THE WAITLIST. 

For people bereaved due to substance use related causes.

Participants will make and glaze clay hearts and then etch with the name or a word of your choice onto it. The potter will take the hearts home to fire them, and when the heart is returned to you, you will use a gold metallic pen to perform the Kintsugi - symbolizing our broken hearts. Registration required.

18 and over event.

Cost: FREE but requires a $20 per person deposit that you will receive back at the event. If you sign up and do not attend the event without giving us 10 days notice, the deposit is not refundable. We do this to be able to continue to offer events at no cost to you. Thanks for your understanding.

Please don’t let the deposit be a barrier—if cost is an issue, just let us know. We’re committed to making this event accessible to everyone. If you have any accessibility needs (physical or otherwise), please reach out. We want to ensure everyone feels welcome and supported.

Questions about the event? Please contact Kerry Bickford: 508-932-1981 kerry@peersupportcommunitypartners.com

Grief and sadness are often expected when a loved one dies. However, many people do not expect additional impacts, such as changes within family dynamics. Holidays that celebrate traditional family dynamics like Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day may take on new meaning. This can be further complicated when our loved one dies from substance use related causes. Whether a child, sibling, parent, or partner dies, our lives, and oftentimes the dynamics we have been accustomed to, forever change. In this workshop we will discuss the impact of these changed dynamics on upcoming family-focused holidays: Mothers’ Day in May and Father’s Day in June, recognizing the multitude of emotions that these occasions may evoke and the love that we still share.  

This workshop invites and welcomes anyone, regardless of relationship to your loved one. Through discussion, reflection, shared stories, and suggestions of how one can approach these days, we will help you understand how to navigate milestones (beyond Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day) without the physical presence of a cherished family member. 

Learn more and register at bit.ly/family-dynamics-workshop. Please note this workshop has a $10 fee for individuals outside of Massachusetts. Massachusetts residents may attend this workshop for free due to funding from MA-BSAS by using promo code MASS at the time of registration. Non-MA residents, if cost is an issue, use promo code SCHOLARSHIP to register for free.

Held at Simmons University for the benefit of their students and other young bereaved adults in the community. Participants of this relaxed & mutually supportive workshop will be guided in the creation of a personal work of art related to the death of a loved one. We will explore how art can play a pivotal role in healing & communicating about the experience of grief. No art experience needed. Geared toward university students and young adult and is being held on the Simmons' campus. Registration required.

Ever feel like smashing things to get your anger, sadness, frustration out? Here is your chance! Registration Here! Join us at Just Smash It and let go for a little bit. Come on down and smash away your frustrations in a safe and controlled environment. As with our previous events, we are requiring a $20 deposit to hold your spot. You will receive the deposit back at the event. If you sign up and do not attend the event without giving us 10 days notice, the deposit is not refundable. We do this to be able to continue to offer events at no cost to you. Thanks for your understanding. Questions? Contact Michelle Rueda 781-635-3537 michellerueda820@mail.com FOR YOUNG ADULTS 18-35

BOTH DATES SOLD OLD! Waitlist available.

Join us for an intimate, hands-on silver stamping experience at Spoon & Hammer Studio in Mashpee MA. In this small gathering (limited to 6 participants), you will create a personalized keepsake, choosing either a bracelet, keychain or pendant and stamp a name or meaningful word into metal as a lasting tribute.

This is more than a jewelry workshop. It is time around a table with others who understand, using your hands to shape something enduring. The physical act of hammering, sanding and stamping often opens space for connection, reflection, laughter and tears. You will leave with a piece that carries your chosen words forward.

If you have already attended this workshop, we ask that you keep spaces open to others who have not yet attended.

18 and over event.

Cost: FREE but requires a $20 per person deposit that you will receive back at the event. If you sign up and do not attend the event without giving us 10 days notice, the deposit is not refundable. We do this to be able to continue to offer events at no cost to you. Thanks for your understanding.

Please don’t let the deposit be a barrier—if cost is an issue, just let us know. We’re committed to making this event accessible to everyone. If you have any accessibility needs (physical or otherwise), please reach out. We want to ensure everyone feels welcome and supported.

Questions about the event? Please contact Kerry Bickford: 508-932-1981 kerry@pscpllc.net

SADOD’s March Psychoeducational Workshop Tuesday, March 24, 2026, 6:30 - 8:00 pm ET 

Grief leaves us with so many words left unsaid and thoughts to process. For many people, writing can be a helpful avenue for channeling these thoughts and feelings. However, not many know where to begin when it comes to the idea of writing for grief. In this workshop, we will feature three guest speakers (Tom Flanagan of Blue Skies Rhode Island, Luna Jaffe of Look Mom, I can Fly, and Tanya Lord of Peer Support Community Partners) who will share their experiences with writing throughout their grief experiences, from poetry to a published book. Join us to learn more about how anyone, regardless of background and experience, can utilize the process of writing in their grief journeys to find some comfort. This workshop will take place virtually on Zoom. Learn more and register at bit.ly/love-letters-workshop. Please note this workshop has a $10 fee for individuals outside of Massachusetts. Massachusetts residents may attend this workshop for free due to funding from MA-BSAS by using promo code MASS at the time of registration. Non-MA residents, if cost is an issue, use promo code SCHOLARSHIP to register for free.

Join The Sun Will Rise Foundation for a fun and engaging group adventure at Patriot Place.

We have reserved three immersive rooms at Red Door Escape Room for an afternoon of connection, teamwork and problem solving. Whether you love sci-fi, fantasy or treasure hunts, there’s something for everyone. Registration Required!

Escape Rooms:

Robo Reboot – Sci-Fi
Build and bring a robot to life.

Lost Treasures – Digital Expedition
Retrieve fabled treasures on an exciting adventure.

Enchantments – Fantasy

Uncover mysteries and magic among fairies.

What to expect:

Choose your adventure
Form teams
Work together to solve challenges
Strengthen communication and problem-solving skills
Have a great time in community

The Red Door promises an experience that is fun, challenging and memorable.

Important: Participants under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: FREE but requires a $20 per person deposit that you will receive back at the event. If you sign up and do not attend the event without giving us 10 days notice, the deposit is not refundable. We do this to be able to continue to offer events at no cost to you. Thanks for your understanding.

Accessibility: Please don’t let the deposit be a barrier, if cost is an issue, just let us know. We’re committed to making this event accessible to everyone. If you have any accessability needs (physical or otherwise), please reach out. We want to ensure everyone feels welcome and supported.

Questions about the event? Please text Cindy Kaplan- 508-269-8428

BOTH DATES SOLD OUT. Waitlist available for cancellations.

Join us for an intimate, hands-on silver stamping experience at Spoon & Hammer Studio in Mashpee MA. In this small gathering (limited to 6 participants), you will create a personalized keepsake, choosing either a bracelet, keychain or pendant and stamp a name or meaningful word into metal as a lasting tribute.

This is more than a jewelry workshop. It is time around a table with others who understand, using your hands to shape something enduring. The physical act of hammering, sanding and stamping often opens space for connection, reflection, laughter and tears. You will leave with a piece that carries your chosen words forward.

If you have already attended this workshop, we ask that you keep spaces open to others who have not yet attended.

18 and over event.

Cost: FREE but requires a $20 per person deposit that you will receive back at the event. If you sign up and do not attend the event without giving us 10 days notice, the deposit is not refundable. We do this to be able to continue to offer events at no cost to you. Thanks for your understanding.

Please don’t let the deposit be a barrier—if cost is an issue, just let us know. We’re committed to making this event accessible to everyone. If you have any accessibility needs (physical or otherwise), please reach out. We want to ensure everyone feels welcome and supported.

Questions about the event? Please contact Kerry Bickford: 508-932-1981 kerry@pscpllc.net

Join us for a Community Meal to meet the people behind the free services and support available in Weymouth MA & the surrounding communities.

Meet:

TSWR - The Sun Will Rise Foundation - Peer Grief Support Groups and Events

HALO - Healing After Loss to Overdose - Family Overdose Support Fund

MOAR - Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery

SADOD - Support After Death by Overdose - Peer Grief Support Resources

WEY OF LIFE - Supporting individuals and families in their recovery journey from SUD

Give-aways - Literature - Dinner/Dessert - Community - Care - Free Services - Support - Raffles

All ages welcome

Registration appreciated but not required.  (we’d like to prepare for the meal)

If you are a local community organization offering free services for those in or seeking recovery and/or grieving the death of someone they care about to a substance use related death, please join and bring your literature to share.

Grief Support 101, offers an introduction to the many ways people experience and navigate grief. Whether you are personally bereaved, work with individuals who are grieving, or simply want to deepen your understanding of loss, this training provides a compassionate foundation. Register at bit.ly/intro-grief-support. Please note this workshop has a $10 fee for individuals outside of Massachusetts. Massachusetts residents may attend this workshop for free due to funding from MA-BSAS by using promo code MASS at the time of registration. If cost is an issue, please contact Laura@sadod.org 

New Event! Just Claying Around Painting Workshop 2/22/26 10:00 am-12:00 pm Bridgewater MA REGISTER HERE! Join The Sun Will Rise Foundation for a relaxed, low-key creative gathering focused on painting ceramic pieces. A selection of ceramics will be available to choose from. All materials are provided. Ages 18+ Cost: FREE but requires a $20 per person deposit that you will receive back at the event. If you sign up and do not attend the event without giving us 10 days notice, the deposit is not refundable. We do this to be able to continue to offer events at no cost to you. Thanks for your understanding. Please don’t let the deposit be a barrier. If cost is an issue, just let us know. We’re committed to making this event accessible to everyone. If you have any accessibility needs (physical or otherwise), please reach out. We want to ensure everyone feels welcome and supported. Registration Required. Questions? Please contact Natalie Patricio: 774-955-7752 jeepgirl474@gmail.com

Whether this is the first new year that you are going into since the loss of your loved one or whether you’ve done it before, starting a new year while grieving can be scary and overwhelming. This time of year is often viewed as a time for positive change and growth, but for individuals grieving it can bring unwanted change- a sense of getting further away from our deceased loved ones. This workshop will normalize and assuage these concerns while providing practical tools to take more ownership over this inevitable change.This workshop will take place virtually on Zoom. Learn more and register at bit.ly/new-years-grief. Please note this workshop has a $10 fee for individuals outside of Massachusetts. Massachusetts residents may attend this workshop for free due to funding from MA-BSAS by using promo code MASS at the time of registration. If cost is an issue, please contact Laura@sadod.org 

POSTPONED !!!!!! Updated info to follow.

Key to Amaze Virtual Reality Experience. Sunday 1/18/26 1:00 pm ET Kenmore Square Boston MA

New Event! Pebble Art Workshop Saturday 1/17/26 2:00-4:00pm Sharon MA REGISTER HERE! Have you ever wanted to learn how to create a picture using materials found directly off the beach? Come join local guest artist Kerry Consentino- Vilorio owner of The Orange Jellyfish, who creates beautiful custom pebble art and sea glass designs, for a fun and creative event. Ages 18+ Cost: FREE but requires a $20 per person deposit that you will receive back at the event. If you sign up and do not attend the event without giving us 10 days notice, the deposit is not refundable. We do this to be able to continue to offer events at no cost to you. Thanks for your understanding. Please don’t let the deposit be a barrier. If cost is an issue, just let us know. We’re committed to making this event accessible to everyone. If you have any accessibility needs (physical or otherwise), please reach out. We want to ensure everyone feels welcome and supported. Registration Required. Questions? Contact Judy Kelly Judy judyannkelly@gmail.com 781-264-0557

Stories are a way of showing us how we see the world and what is sacred to us. They move and flow like a river as we are changed by the events of our lives, never stepping into the same water twice. Sometimes, when a loved one dies under circumstances clouded by stigma, our stories become shaped by that stigma, leaving us trapped in harmful, negative emotions that hold us back from healing. When we can release the stuck story it allows the river to flow again and sets us free to discover new stories of our loved one, changing our relationship to their life and death, our loss, and our own present and future life. This workshop, led by nationally-recognized storyteller, Meghann Perry,  will offer an opportunity to explore a new relationship to the stories of our loss and the beautiful, complex life of our loved one, keeping the river open and flowing, brimming with potential for love and new possibilities. 

This workshop will take place virtually on Zoom. Learn more and register at bit.ly/changing-narrative-workshop. Please note this workshop has a $10 fee for individuals outside of Massachusetts. Massachusetts residents may attend this workshop for free due to funding from MA-BSAS by using promo code MASS at the time of registration. If cost is an issue, please contact Laura@sadod.org 

Join us for a comforting evening of connection and creativity this holiday season. We’ll share a meal together and take part in two meaningful activities, creating cards of hope and encouragement to be delivered to individuals currently in addition treatment and decorating ornaments in remembrance of our people who have died. It’s a gentle space to give, reflect, and find healing through kindness and community.

There is no cost to take part in this activity. If you have any accessibility needs (physical or otherwise), please reach out. We want to ensure everyone feels welcome and supported. Please let us know of any food allergies. Registration required or RSVP to Nike. For questions, please contact Nike Laskaris nlaskaris@essexcountyoutreach.com 617-333-1794

Park in the Church Street East Lot (72 Church St, Salem, MA) or in the back of the church (24 St Peter St, Salem, MA). 

Take a break from the holiday rush and join us for an afternoon together. This will be a simple, welcoming day to connect with others who understand. We will eat a meal together, share stories and enjoy some gentle company during the season. REGISTER HERE!

We’ll have an ornament making activity. If you’d like, bring along a favorite dessert of your person’s to share! Everything else will be provided.

Come as you are, it’s about being together and finding a bit of warmth and support during this time of year.

Cost: FREE but requires a $20 per person deposit that you will receive back at the event. If you sign up and do not attend the event without giving us 10 days notice, the deposit is not refundable. We do this to be able to continue to offer events at no cost to you. Thanks for your understanding.

Please don’t let the deposit be a barrier—if cost is an issue, just let us know. We’re committed to making this event accessible to everyone. If you have any accessibility needs (physical or otherwise), please reach out. We want to ensure everyone feels welcome and supported.

Registration Required. Please let us know of any food allergies.

Parking on Rolling Mill Way and along the street on Revolutionary Way.

For questions, please contact Cindy Kaplan at (508) 269-8428 cinkap56@gmail.com

Society often extends sympathy and grief support to those who fill traditional next of kin roles to the deceased. However, grief is not limited to these individuals and often, those who suffer most are left without support. This panel discussion will feature individuals bereaved by the death of someone close to them, but not traditional or legal family. An honest conversation will be had that will normalize and validate anyone’s need for grief support, regardless of their relationship to the deceased. 

This workshop will take place virtually on Zoom. Learn more and register at bit.ly/disenfranchised-panel. Please note this workshop has a $10 fee for individuals outside of Massachusetts. Massachusetts residents may attend this workshop for free due to funding from MA-BSAS by using promo code MASS at the time of registration. If cost is an issue, please contact Laura@sadod.org 

Please join us on Sunday 11/9/25. First book to read is Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall. Connect with others who understand grief, as we read and reflect together.

Meets 2nd Sunday of each month from November to April

First Book: Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

Zoom link on monthly calendar page

At this time of year, conversations in many of our grief support groups begin to focus on how to include our loved ones in our holiday celebrations. It doesn't feel right to move on without them, and we struggle to find ways to include them. Please join Robyn Houston-Bean and Kerry Bickford as we help you “make a plate” to represent those we are grieving. This plate will be created on a pie plate or dish and set at the table or somewhere nearby to represent the love and memories that will always be present in our hearts throughout the holiday season. You are welcome to join us live as we demonstrate ideas and examples of what this plate might look like. You can either follow along while using your own supplies (list of items with be sent via email after signing up) or imagination or just observe and create your own memorial off-screen at another time. We will leave time at the end for you to tell us about your creation and who you are honoring. Register Here!

HEALING THROUGH LAUGHTER, PLAY & GAMES Saturday 11/1/25 10am-5pm. Weymouth MA. Register Required. Our storytelling virtual workshop was such a hit that we brought award winning Meghann Perry back for a full day in-person event! Our bodies, hearts and voices hold and carry so much for ourselves and for others. Spend the day with others in our grieving community. There will be time to play, relax, connect with self and others. We’ll be using theater improv and storytelling exercises but don’t worry - you won’t be on the spot! The Embodied Storytelling method is a gentle, easy, no-pressure series of group exercises. Tap into your inner healer through an essential part of human nature - play - to relax, connect with self and others through joy, and release tension and weight. Light meal will be served. Please let us know any food allergies.  REGISTER HERE Cost: FREE but requires a $20 per person deposit that you will receive back at the event. If you sign up and do not attend the event without giving us 10 days notice, the deposit is not refundable. We do this to be able to continue to offer events at no cost to you. Thanks for your understanding. Please don’t let the deposit be a barrier—if cost is an issue, just let us know. We’re committed to making this event accessible to everyone. If you have any accessibility needs (physical or otherwise), please reach out. We want to ensure everyone feels welcome and supported. Questions? Email robyn@thesunwillrise.org

SADOD’s OCTOBER PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP- COMFORTING OTHERS WITH VAL WALKER: WHAT TO SAY & DO. Tuesday October 28, 2025 6:30 pm ET. When comforting others in grief, knowing what to say or do can be tough. This workshop will discuss compassionate ways to support those facing loss. Practical tips and real-life examples await! This workshop will take place virtually on Zoom. Learn more and register at bit.ly/comforting-others-workshop. Please note this workshop has a $10 fee for individuals outside of Massachusetts. Massachusetts residents may attend this workshop for free due to funding from MA-BSAS by using promo code MASS at the time of registration. If cost is an issue, please contact Laura@sadod.org