Tuscaloosa City Council members gave updates on various upcoming service projects and events at Tuesday’s meeting.
Councilor Norman Crow promoted Night to Shine, a charity that hosts proms at over 600 churches globally for people with disabilities. The Church at Tuscaloosa will host a local Night to Shine on Friday, Feb. 9, at 6 p.m.
Attendees will have the opportunity to walk a red carpet, and they will be provided with limousine rides and a catered dinner. Crow said that the event is still looking for around 40 volunteers and $5,000 in donations.
Prospective volunteers can sign up through The Church at Tuscaloosa’s website and must attend a mandatory training session Saturday, Feb. 3.
Councilor Cassius Lanier promoted Impact Nation Fellowship Church’s food drive, which will begin at the church Friday, Feb. 2, at 10 a.m. The drive was created in conjunction with Tuscaloosa’s One Place and the West Alabama Food Bank. All food is free and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
Lanier projected that the drive would feed around 300 to 400 people, and he emphasized the community’s level of need.
“We’re in a hard time,” Lanier said. “We were this close to a depression almost about a year ago.”
Lanier requested volunteers and donations from the community to help serve the drive, adding that those interested can email Hannah Lancaster of Tuscaloosa’s One Place for more information.
Additionally, last Saturday, District 2 Councilor Raevan Howard participated in the installation of 86 smoke detectors in homes throughout her district with the help of the American Red Cross.
Howard said that access to smoke detectors becomes particularly important during colder winter months, when some residents are forced to turn to alternative methods to heat their homes. Smoke from wood fires and ovens can quickly reach dangerous levels, making working smoke detectors critical.
