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Mayor honors River Market team for National Farmers Market Week; municipal court collects supplies to dismiss tickets
Summary
The Tuscaloosa mayor presented a proclamation for National Farmers Market Week to River Market staff and municipal court officials reported nearly 1,100 donated items and dismissal of about 250 parking tickets under a school-supplies program.
The mayor of Tuscaloosa presented a proclamation recognizing National Farmers Market Week and thanked River Market staff for operating the Saturday market that attracts thousands of visitors each week.
Alexis Clark introduced the River Market team and named staff members including Maggie Porter, assistant manager, Tannette Ayers, Jennifer Stokes, Andrea Matei, Grayson Graves, Colin Patrick and Jeremiah Johnson. The presenters said the market supports 68 vendor stalls and serves large weekend crowds. "We are there with bells on at 05:30, actually, to open all the garage doors for everybody," a member of the team said.
Speakers highlighted the market's food-access programs: staff confirmed vendors accept SNAP EBT and said the market participates in a "double up food bucks" program that matches SNAP spending, allowing customers who spend $40 in SNAP to receive an additional $40 for fresh fruits and vegetables.
Separately, municipal court staff accepted a proclamation and described a parking-ticket-for-school-supplies program. Jessica Stewart and municipal court staff said the program began in 2019. Since implementation, the court has collected about 4,500 school supplies for city schools; this year staff reported almost 1,100 items collected and about 250 tickets dismissed through the program. Jessica Stewart said supplies are distributed through the New Heights Community Resource Center; Kalisa Borman, the center's resource manager, said the supplies will be allocated to students and classrooms in need.
Council members and the mayor praised both the River Market and the municipal court program for serving broad cross sections of the city. The meeting record does not include ordinance or funding actions tied to these recognitions; both items were ceremonial and informational.
