Mission
Founded in memory of our precious Matt, we seek to aid others on their road to recovery.
The Matt Adams Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit which funds distribution of life saving naloxone opioid overdose reversal kits and other harm reduction materials while working to break down the stigma and encourage hope, healing and dignity in care.
MAF's Story
In September of 2017, I lost my partner, Matt Adams, to an accidental overdose. In the months that followed, while living on my dear friend’s couch in Eureka Springs, I started this initiative from the pit of grief as a way to channel my pain and honor Matt with the goal of preventing this from happening to hopefully just one person.
During this period of grief, seeking healing and answers, I set out hiking the Appalachian Trail which runs through the heartland of America’s Opioid epidemic. It was through these towns that I discovered how grassroots harm reduction programs were tackling the overdose crisis head-on across their mountain communities. After learning about these initiatives, I couldn’t believe naloxone wasn’t a standard resource, couldn’t believe that I’d never heard of it or had any in the house, and upon investigating, that it hadn’t been used to revive Matt when he was unconscious. We needed these programs here, and everywhere, yesterday. From there, MAF had its direction, a gap to fill in the recovery space to hopefully prevent needless overdoses in our communities.
Upon returning to Arkansas from trail, our friends at the Central Arkansas Harm Reduction graciously provided both guidance and our first round of naloxone and harm reduction materials to get us started. With that, the hotline was launched and through the help from some of our earliest, incredibly passionate volunteers we got this program off the ground here in NWA. In the years that followed, MAF hired Matt’s sister on as our first and only staff member to facilitate hotline and harm reduction distribution operations in NWA after I moved from Arkansas and no longer could. Together, we worked to not only keep operations flowing in AR, but also expand to other areas and advocate for harm reduction far and wide.
Since then, through our amazing volunteers and harm reduction advocates across multiple states, this has grown to impact far more than I could have ever foreseen. Thank you to everyone who has participated for embracing harm reduction and saving these lives. We look forward to continue spreading our roots to new areas that have gone so long without resources while also supporting our fellow harm reduction organizations to grow these important services within communities far and wide.
All these years later, his life and legacy have now touched so many, and for that I am forever grateful. 💜
– Heather, Founder of MAF and Matt’s Partner
MAF's Story
In September of 2017, I lost my partner, Matt Adams, to an accidental overdose. In the months that followed, while living on my dear friend’s couch in Eureka Springs, I started this initiative from the pit of grief as a way to channel my pain and honor Matt with the goal of preventing this from happening to hopefully just one person.
During this period of grief, seeking healing and answers, I set out hiking the Appalachian Trail which runs through the heartland of America’s Opioid epidemic. It was through these towns that I discovered how grassroots harm reduction programs were tackling the overdose crisis head-on across their mountain communities. After learning about these initiatives, I couldn’t believe naloxone wasn’t a standard resource, couldn’t believe that I’d never heard of it or had any in the house, and that upon investigating, it hadn’t been used to revive Matt when he was unconscious. We needed these programs here, and everywhere, yesterday. From there, MAF had its direction, a gap to fill in the recovery space to hopefully prevent needless overdoses in our communities.
Upon returning to Arkansas from trail, our friends at the Central Arkansas Harm Reduction graciously provided both guidance and our first round of naloxone and harm reduction materials to get us started. With that, the hotline was launched and through the help from some of our earliest, incredibly passionate volunteers we got this program off the ground here in NWA. In the years that followed, MAF hired Matt’s sister on as our first and only staff member to facilitate hotline and harm reduction distribution operations in Arkansas after I moved from Arkansas and no longer could. Together, we worked to not only keep operations flowing in AR, but also expand to other areas and advocate for harm reduction far and wide.
Since then, through our amazing volunteers and harm reduction advocates across multiple states, this has grown to impact far more than I could have ever foreseen. Thank you to everyone who has participated for embracing harm reduction and saving these lives. We look forward to continue spreading our roots to new areas that have gone so long without resources while also supporting our fellow harm reduction organizations to grow these important services within communities far and wide.
All these years later, his life and legacy have now touched so many, and for that I am forever grateful. 💜
– Heather, Founder of MAF and Matt’s Partner