Purple Flags Honor Westfield Man Lost To Drugs, And 210 Others

WESTFIELD, NJ — In honor of the lives lost to drug overdoses and in celebration of those in recovery, 211 purple flags are being displayed on the lawn of the Municipal Building this week, a project of the Matthew Thomas Toriello Memorial Fund. Toriello was a lifelong Westfield residents who lost his life in 2019 to opioid addiction.

"We believe Matt would want us to speak truthfully about his passing so that others may see and know they are not alone," says an obituary from 2019. "Matt battled an addiction to opioids and battled hard. He had recently achieved a major milestone in 9 months sober and we are so proud and grateful for the strength he showed every single day during his recovery. Then one day, very suddenly, he was not strong enough. Matt lost his battle early Sunday morning."

The 211 flags are for each life lost in Union County between January 2020 and June 2021, including three from Westfield.

The Matthew Thomas Toriello Memorial Fund and The Albert Anthony Kayal Foundation partnered with the Town of Westfield to recognize International Overdose Awareness Day.

“The Town of Westfield is proud to help recognize International Overdose Awareness Day, and to honor those we lost too soon as well as those who struggle with addiction every day,” said Mayor Shelley Brindle. “As a stigma-free community, we all have a role to play in spreading the message about the tragedy of drug overdose death and the resources available to those facing addiction.”

"In Matt [Toriello's] life, addiction education and prevention, recovery, and helping youth became the focus of his efforts," says a release. "The Fund serves to continue Matthew’s legacy and therefore shares the same mission."

“Our friends at the Tigger House Foundation in Red Bank honor each life lost in Monmouth County with a purple flag on Overdose Awareness Day. It’s our hope that by doing the same in Westfield we can encourage important conversations and build awareness in our community,” said Kristen Sonnek-Schmelz of The Matthew Thomas Toriello Memorial Fund. “The more we talk, the more knowledge we share, the more lives we save.”

AAKF was formed to honor Albert Anthony Kayal, a North Jersey man who lost his battle with drug addiction on Nov. 18, 2010. The mission of AAKF is to honor Albert’s life by providing support and resources to educate young adults in choices which will lead to healthy lifestyles.

International Overdose Awareness Day is the world’s largest annual campaign to end overdose, remember without stigma those who have died and acknowledge the grief of the family and friends left behind. The campaign raises awareness of overdose, which is one of the world’s worst public health crises, and stimulates action and discussion about evidence-based overdose prevention and drug policy.

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