Volunteers will clean up in Tuscaloosa on Saturday

Posted Sep 12, 2019 at 8:00 AM

More than 300 volunteers are expected to turn out Saturday morning for a community cleanup being sponsored by local religious centers in connection with Tuscaloosa’s bicentennial celebration.

“Our goal is 200 bags with 200 pounds because of the 200th birthday of our beloved city,” said Shelley Jones. “We are trying to demonstrate our responsibility to protect our environment.”

“For the Good of Our City,” the cleanup sponsored by the Tuscaloosa Ministerial Alliance as an affiliated event of the Tuscaloosa 200 Bicentennial, will start with a check-in at 7:30 a.m. at Government Plaza in downtown behind City Hall.

Faith groups have helped organize volunteers through their congregations, but the event will also welcome those who want to register to participate on Saturday, said Jones, the community engagement chair for the Tuscaloosa Bicentennial Committee.

The event was inspired by a desire to partner with the faith community and the bicentennial celebration’s September theme of the environment, Jones said.

“Taking care of our environment demonstrates our responsibility as citizens,” Jones said.

At the plaza Saturday morning, the volunteers will enjoy fellowship and refreshments donated by local businesses before heading to the faith centers in each of the City Council districts for their cleanup assignments at 8:15 a.m. Volunteers will be provided equipment and bags for the cleanup and a free T-shirt. The cleanup will take place from 8:30-11 a.m.

The volunteers will be welcomed by the Bicentennial Committee, Tuscaloosa Ministerial Alliance and Mayor Walt Maddox on Saturday before heading to their work sites. The Rev. Clinton Hubbard of First United Methodist Church will lead a prayer.

The volunteers will be picking up litter on streets near the district sites that have been identified by the city, Jones said.

“The city has been so supportive and helpful,” Jones said.

The District 1 sites include Maranatha Seventh-Day Adventist Church, First African Baptist Church, and Elizabeth Baptist Church. The District 2 site is Vinyard Community Church. The District 3 site is First Wesleyan Church. The District 4 sites are Trinity Methodist Church and Calvary Baptist Church. The District 5 site is College Hill Baptist. The District 7 site is Holy Spirit Catholic Church.

The volunteers will bring their bags of litter back to the district sites, where they will be collected for disposal by the city, Jones said.

The hope is for the event to become an annual cleanup, Jones said.