FARMINGTON — The Police Department will host a site for the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 26, at the station at 116 Franklin Avenue.

The department is also running a food drive in connection with the event, Bonnie Pomeroy, department secretary, said. Nonperishable foods may be left in the lobby from now through April 26, she said.

The food will be taken to the Care and Share Food Closet in Fairbanks village. A few items already have been left, she said.

The department is already the site of Franklin County’s prescription drug lockbox. From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, people can bring prescriptions in, she said. The box is in the lobby.

Items accepted are prescriptions/samples, over-the-counter medications, vitamins and medications for pets. Needles, liquids and patches are not accepted, she said.

“The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day provides a safe, convenient and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications,” according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration website.

Police Chief Jack Peck will open the office April 26 and be there during the hours, especially for those who can not make the weekday hours, she said.

No information or names are taken. People are asked to keep all medicines in the original container and remove all personal information.

The department previously accepted prescriptions at its former office in the Municipal Building but waited for one of the quarterly DEA Take-Back days when the medicines would be taken to the Sheriff’s Department, she said.

The new office provides a better host site. This is the department’s first time hosting.

For more information, call the Police Department at 778-6311.

abryant@sunjournal.com