Besse Park was covered in purple Wednesday night: thousands of purple flags symbolizing every person in Massachusetts who died of an opioid overdose in 2016 and purple glow sticks worn by those who came to the vigil to show support.

On Wednesday, Wareham Fighting Against Addiction officially opened a drop-in center for those struggling with opioid addiction and for their families at Church of the Good Shepherd at 74 High Street. The center will be open every third Wednesday of the month from 5 to 9 p.m. To kick off the center’s opening, a vigil was held in Besse Park to honor those who have died from an opioid overdose.

Alyson McDonough got the idea after she posted on Facebook in September asking how she could start a group to educate people on opioid addiction and to raise awareness. She lost a close personal friend this year to an opioid overdose and is herself in long-term recovery.

“Our hope is that one day, this epidemic will be a thing of the past,” McDonough said. Out of the Facebook post, Wareham Fighting Against Addiction was born.

Bill Pimental, who works at Habit OPCO, a substance abuse treatment center, saw the Facebook post and got excited about the opportunity.

“I want to give back to the community where it all started for me,” Pimental said. He grew up in Wareham and was even arrested by Wareham Police Chief Kevin Walsh as a teenager for public intoxication. Pimental has been in recovery for more than nine years. At the vigil, he pulled up an app on his phone that shows exactly how many days it's been.

“I should have been one of those flags,” Pimental said, referring to the 2,069 purple flags in the ground, each representing an opioid-related death in Massachusetts in 2016. “We felt like we were putting together a mini Arlington Cemetery, because each one represents someone who didn’t make it.”

The drop-in center had 11 vendors at its opening, offering resources for addicts and family members. Recovery centers are a big need in Wareham, Pimental said. He called Wareham a “donut hole” with recovery centers in surrounding towns but few resources to offer people in town.

Lisa Morales, co-founder of community group Onset All Together, was one of several dozen attendees at the vigil. She went in honor of three people who were close to her who died due to opioid overdose.

“I’m sorry not to see the selectmen here,” Morales said. “They’re the ones who need to do something.” When asked for comment, Selectmen Chair Peter Teitelbaum said the Board of Selectmen did not receive an invitation to the event.

Morales said she finds the lack of resources in Wareham disheartening.

“There’s no youth center, no place for kids to go,” she said. “We have nothing in Onset.”

There have been 166 reported opioid overdoses in Wareham this year, Walsh said, which is higher than usual, and around 17 deaths.

“What those figures don’t tell you are the families and friends that are affected,” Walsh said. “But hopefully there’s an end in sight.”

There was not a dry eye in the park as people shared their stories of struggling with addiction and the death of loved ones. Rev. Daniel Bernier of Church of the Good Shepherd said a prayer, surrounded by glowing purple lights.

“We pray that people will see addiction for what it is: a disease, not a character flaw or moral defect,” Bernier said. After the prayer, the group sang Amazing Grace together, watching the purple flags blow in the wind.

Pimental said he hopes his story can help others realize there is help for those struggling with addiction.

“If an old wretch like me can do this, anyone can,” he said. “You’ve just got to want it.”