MOBILE COUNTY, Ala. — Six Love Your Community teams were presented with grants totaling $7,500 at the Mobile County Commission meeting on July 22, 2024. [see teams and projects below]

Commissioner Connie Hudson, who spearheads the Love Your Community effort said, “We appreciate and congratulate the six teams who’ve time-banked hours and are receiving these grants for their litter reduction efforts. Love Your Community is a win-win program for the participating teams and for our community. They are truly making a difference in litter control efforts within the County.”

According to the program coordinator, Evelyn DeAngelo, 227 teams have taken advantage of the Love Your Community program. There are currently 49 teams actively participating in the Love Your Community Time Bank. Since 2021, more than $50,000 in grants have been awarded by the Mobile County Commission through the Love Your Community program.

Grants earned through time-banking volunteer activity must be used for beautification and environmentally friendly projects in public rights-of-way or common areas for recycling, community gardens, park projects, and other initiatives.

The Love Your Community (LYC) program is funded by the Mobile County Commission, operated through a partnership with Keep Mobile Beautiful, and engaged with the Alabama Coastal Heritage Trust and Clean Water Future.

LYC was first established in 2018 as a program to encourage citizen involvement in addressing the overwhelming litter problems within our community and to promote a cleaner, healthier, and more attractive environment. Over 65 LYC teams with more than 600 volunteers became involved in the effort pre-pandemic. COVID-19 impacted participation and the program was relaunched on April 22, 2021, with a time-banking incentive program for teams to earn thousands of dollars in grant funding.

The program allows Love Your Community registered teams, which may be comprised of one to 50 or more members, to select a location(s) within Mobile County to monitor, organize, and schedule ongoing clean-up activities as determined by each team.  Clean-up supplies including litter grabbers, T-shirts, vests, gloves, and disposable trash bags are provided to participating teams upon request.

Registered teams that choose to participate in the time-banking initiative deposit their volunteer hours by submitting the required information and photos, either through https://link.edgepilot.com/s/39899ca3/Rb-K_3I6nk_2PpiIf-Ek8g?u=http://www.loveyourcommunity.com/ or by mail to the LYC Coordinator. Eligible activities for time banking include litter pick up and disposal, community clean-up efforts, volunteering at recycling centers, or hosting recycling events and beautification projects. Volunteer hours are held in the Love Your Community Time Bank and continue to accumulate until requirements allow deposits to be exchanged for grant funding.

For the LYC and time-banking program descriptions and information, team registration, and frequently asked questions visit https://link.edgepilot.com/s/39899ca3/Rb-K_3I6nk_2PpiIf-Ek8g?u=http://www.loveyourcommunity.com/, call 251-444-7144, or email [email protected].

Funding for the program is provided in part by the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA).

 

The grants were presented to the following groups for time-banked service hours:

$500 grant (50 service hours)

Hope and Charity Coalition Group, led by Minister Alice Wells, will use the funds to host a community cleanup in Fernland near Grand Bay (Commission District 3).

$1,000 grant (95 service hours)

LeRoy Raine Team continues to earn grant funds for a brick memorial and landscaping at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepard.

$1,500 grant (145 service hours)

Infinite Opportunities Team, led by Mechelle Davis, will continue beautification efforts at an affordable housing/ hotel renovation project on Hwy. 45 in Citronelle (Commission District 1).

Team Flo Claire 2, led by Benard Stafford, will use the funds for landscaping a median and planting sago palms in the neighborhood (Commission District 1).

Cottage Hill Christian Academy Team, led by Beth Quave, will continue the Outdoor Classroom/Butterfly Garden Project (Commission District 2).

Loving Litter Pickup Team, led by Candice Neal, will use the grant to continue work to beautify Bayou La Batre. The team has purchased metal anti-litter signage and flowers for the community (Commission District 3).