Sussex County businesses raise $2,300 to support opioid addiction recovery

Kyle Morel, New Jersey Herald
·3 min read

FRANKLIN — Two neighboring businesses on Route 23 continue to support local residents battling opioid addiction through a pair of annual fundraisers that collected $2,300.

TJ's Pizza raised $1,200 through the "Remember Their Smiles" cupcake fundraiser, matching the total from last year's initiative. Verizon premium retailer R-Wireless, located next door to the Franklin restaurant, brought in an additional $1,100 in its "Change for Change" campaign, in which customers are encouraged to round up purchases to the nearest dollar.

All funds from the joint fundraisers are given to the Sussex County C.L.E.A.R. (Community Law Enforcement Addiction Recovery) program, a collaborative effort between local police agencies and healthcare groups to reduce opioid overdoses in the county.

TJ's Pizza owner Steve Freaney created "Remember Their Smiles" to honor Robbie Hontz, a family friend who died of an overdose in July 2017. Each April, the restaurant sells cupcakes with smiley faces — which symbolize positive moments in the lives of overdose victims — and matches all sales to contribute to the donation effort.

R-Wireless director of sales Amit Singh learned of the fundraiser when he stopped in for a slice of pizza and soon created his own initiative. The company, like TJ's, matches the amount of change donated up to $1,000.

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The money raised in the campaigns has steadily increased in recent years, a sign that the conversation surrounding opioid abuse is becoming less stigmatized.

"It's nice that people are coming out more and more," said John Hontz, Robbie's father. "It's been hidden for so long that it's nice to see the community coming together."

Freaney said this year's campaign was particularly impactful for one employee who lost a loved one to addiction. She purchased a copy of "Saving Eric," written by a Sussex County woman whose son died of an overdose in 2012, and the book inspired her to become more involved in the fundraiser.

"It made her feel a lot less alone," Freaney said. "It was just an extraordinary moment for me ... That's absolutely why we did this — so the silence can be broken, so the stigma can be ended."

Employees from TJ's Pizza and R-Wireless in Franklin hold two checks totaling $2,300 from a pair of fundraisers benefiting the Sussex County C.L.E.A.R. (Community Law Enforcement Addiction Recovery) program Wednesday, May 25, 2022.
Employees from TJ's Pizza and R-Wireless in Franklin hold two checks totaling $2,300 from a pair of fundraisers benefiting the Sussex County C.L.E.A.R. (Community Law Enforcement Addiction Recovery) program Wednesday, May 25, 2022.

There were 32 suspected overdose deaths among Sussex County residents in 2021, according to data from the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. That figure is the lowest since 2015, when 25 deaths were reported, and is a significant decline from the 48 reported in 2020.

But there is still work to do, and Freaney said he will continue to organize "Remember Their Smiles" for as long as Sussex County residents continue to battle addiction. He noted the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the opioid crisis, as many people struggled to combat the isolation and lack of in-person care.

"After five years, I feel we're still at the beginning stages of this cause," Freaney said. "It's very necessary, it's very important, and we have to keep on going with this."

"The support was there," Singh added, "and we want to keep continuing to do this every year."

This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: Sussex County businesses raise money for opioid addiction recovery