The Town of Wake Forest’s annual loose leaf collection program will begin Monday, Oct. 4, and continue through Friday, March 11, 2022. Residents are reminded that the Town provides bi-monthly loose leaf collection service which calls for crews to service Wake Forest streets twice each month. When preparing leaves and yard waste for collection, residents are urged to follow these guidelines: Rake leaves into piles behind the curb, so they do not interfere with traffic or drainage. Do not mix sticks, rocks, pine cones, limbs or other debris with loose leaves. The Town’s vacuum equipment is only designed to pick up loose leaves. Your cooperation will help prevent mechanical breakdowns and collection delays. Place limbs and brush behind the curb in a pile separate from leaves. Limbs and brush larger than one inch but smaller than six inches in diameter must be no longer than six feet. Limbs and logs larger than

October will soon be here, with cooler weather and changing leaves just around the corner. September has been a busy month in which we fed 2,300 people from 1,000 families.  Thank you to all who have donated, and to our valiant volunteers. Inventory is Down   Donations from our local community garden partners have slowed as the growing season comes to an end. Food donations have picked up since August, but are still slow. This month we’ve had to purchase non-perishables to ensure that we have enough for all. Your donations are more important than ever right now. Click here for a list of needed items. We accept food donations at our office (149 E. Holding Avenue) and at these locations around Wake Forest. You can order via our Amazon wish list and your donations are delivered directly to us. Monetary donations are always accepted at our website. FOOD DRIVE at Chick-fil-A  On Friday, October 28th from 11 a.m. til 7

The Wake Forest Police Department recently named Officer First Class Rob Wilkinson as its 2020 Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Officer of the Year. A specialized law enforcement program, the CIT is a partnership between 17 Wake County law enforcement agencies, Wake County Human Services and the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The initiative is designed to develop a more effective, compassionate and safer approach to interacting with people suffering from a mental illness or developmental disability crisis. The CIT provides 40 hours of specialized training to sworn law enforcement officers. The training helps officers identify individuals in a mental health crisis and utilize effective techniques to deescalate crisis situations. As a result, there are fewer incidents of incarceration of persons with mental illness for misdemeanor charges, and fewer injuries to both officers and individuals with mental illness. In Wake County, more than 500 officers have been certified. “Officer Wilkinson was

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department will sponsor a Halloween Boo Bash on Thursday, Oct. 21, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road. Presented by Capital Chevrolet, the Halloween Boo Bash is a free, family-oriented festival for children ages 12 and younger. This year’s festivities will include a variety of ghostly games and activities, along with free pumpkin giveaways – while supplies last. Costumes are optional, but best costumes will be featured on the Town’s website and social media pages. In addition to Capital Chevrolet, the following local businesses have generously contributed to this year’s Halloween Boo Bash: Triangle Family Dentistry, Passanante’s Home Food Services, Wells Family Dental Group, Elan Dental, and McPherson Family Eye Care. For more information about the Halloween Boo Bash, visit https://bit.ly/WFBooBash. On a related note, the Town of Wake Forest often receives inquiries concerning when families should go trick-or-treating.

The nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Wake County will sponsor a forum for the Wake Forest mayoral and town commissioner candidates on Sunday, Oct. 3, at 1 p.m. at the Del Webb Community Center – the rear patio – 905 Del Webb Manor Avenue, Wake Forest. A reception will follow from 2 to 3 p.m. Masks are required. The forum may also be viewed live on Zoom using the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86076642275?pwd=SklBZ1d5RHAxemNIQzU3ZzBSMUFRZz09 Meeting ID: 860 7664 2275 Passcode: 762385 * * * * The Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting a candidates’ forum in the Renaissance Centre on Thursday, Oct. 7, and has invited the two candidates for mayor of Wake Forest and the five candidates for town commissioner. The public is invited to this free event that will last from 6 to 8 p.m. Each candidate will have five minutes to state who they are, what their positions