FAIRMONT — A town hall meeting to discuss prevention of underage drinking, vaping and other drug use will be held Tuesday at the Holiday Inn in Fairmont.

The event, which begins at 5:15 p.m. and continues for one hour, is open to everyone in Martin County. Pizza and beverages will be provided at no charge.

“Whoever wants to be there and be a part of it can be there,” said Steph Johnson, director of the Martin County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition.

She explained that it is new for Martin County to be part of the “Community Talks” town hall meetings.

Community Talks is an effort launched this year by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Johnson said the coalition received a grant through the agency in August, along with guidelines.

In the past, other community conversations on topics such as vaping have been held at Fairmont High School. Johnson said that because this event will be held outside of school and involve the whole county, more people can be reached.

The coalition’s goal is to prevent underage drinking and use of marijuana and other drugs Martin County. The group is comprised of community members with different backgrounds. There are youth coalition groups at Fairmont High School, Truman, Granada-Huntley-East Chain, Martin County West and Martin Luther High School.

“We’re hoping to have some good discussions. I’m also super excited for some of the people who are going to share about their work,” Johnson said of Tuesday’s gathering.

Fairmont High School’s new school resource officer, Shannon Bass, will give an introduction, along with GHEC’s new school resource officer, Chris Gerhardt. Shelly Larson, who is involved with Martin County Teen Court, will speak. Several students in the youth coalition will discuss what motivates them to be chemical-free.

Johnson said anyone can be active in prevention, whether they are a parent, aunt or uncle, coach or other community member. Anyone, she said, can send youth a positive message.

“We’re so lucky in our community that we have so many people working together to help create a healthy environment for our young people. We have a very diverse group in our coalition that are working in our community,” Johnson said.

She said that with the holidays approaching and college kids coming home, this is a good time of the year to hold conversations with youth about being responsible.

In addition to the testimonies Tuesday evening, resources will be provided in the form of pamphlets and brochures. Additional resources and contact information can be found online at mcsapcoalition.com

“The main thing is, we want to provide resources to start conversations and empower people to go home and feel like there’s something they can do to help prevent underage drinking, vaping and prescription drug use,” Johnson said.