TACO INC.
/'täkō/ #TACOboutit
(noun) Team Awareness Combating Overdose
(noun) 100% volunteer 501(c)3 charity combatting accidental overdoses among students through data-backed education & accessible harm reduction supplies.
THE TEAM’S MISSION
is to combat drug overdoses among young adults by building a peer-to-peer culture of well-informed decisions with comprehensive access to neutral, scientific data and subsidized tools to keep each other safe.
290+
STUDENT VOLUNTEERS
STAFF
💪
🛴
29
DISTRIBUTION ZONES
IN 16 STATES
📍
🤝
The Problem
Thousands of college students and young adults die due to drug overdose each year in the United States (7,653 individuals ages 18-25 in 2021 per CDC WONDER). The most common causes are accidental fentanyl intake and mixed use of 2+ drugs, including alcohol, simultaneously.
Each one of these fatalities could have been prevented. The irreparable tragedy for thousands upon thousands of families could have been prevented. Yet, the failure of previous approaches to substance use education means these young lives were lost before they were able to reach their full potentials.
These preventable deaths are so much more than the young adult who did not survive - they each mark dozens of parents, siblings, friends, class and team mates whose lives are forever scarred by these losses.
There is a solution - TACO INC. has prevented over 1,500 student overdose deaths since launching in 2020.
Sharing Our Impact
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Pew Research
State Policy Approaches to Expand Naloxone Access
September 2, 2025
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Los Angeles County Public Health
Substance Abuse Prevention and Control
September 1, 2024
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Westly Prize for Young Social Innovators
TACO Inc. Named as Finalists
January 4, 2024
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ABC Nightline News
Nonprofit hits Coachella with lifesaving fentanyl test strips, Narcan
April 25, 2023
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The New York Times
Fentanyl Test Strips Highlight Nation’s Struggle to Combat Drug Deaths
October 1, 2022
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ABC Nightline News
Hidden Epidemic: parents, police scramble as US fentanyl crisis worsens
September 28, 2022
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![Image of a Los Angeles Times article about testing substances for fentanyl featuring Team Awareness Combating Overdose, the cover image shows several Fentanyl Test Strips]()
The Los Angeles Times
With overdose deaths rising, here’s how to test drugs for fentanyl
May 26, 2022
TACO INC Executive Leadership 2025-26
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ALISON KELLER
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AVERY SCHULTZ
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GRACE SCHWARTZ
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REESE HIATT
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LAINEY COTE
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CELEST DIAZ
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SARINA MODY
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LILIA KAZEROONI
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ASHLEY ADJI
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AYATI MISHRA
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YUMNA BATTISHA
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SIERRA HASCHAK
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TACO CHAPTERS
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The TACO Board
Our Partners
“When dealing with potentially addictive drugs, we must leave behind the idea that ignorance is bliss. In our modern society we must realize that ignorance is a risk and knowledge is bliss.”
Dr. Sherrell Howard, UCLA Molecular Pharmacology
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