In November and December you blessed us with a generous bounty of donations which we are distributing now that giving has slowed. We continue to provide all of our families with 100 pounds of food each month. SNAP & FNS BENEFITS Starting in March 2023, the Extra Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) benefits for COVID-19 will end. This means Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (food stamps) subsidies will revert to pre-pandemic rates, reducing benefits by $95 per month per household. At the same time, food prices have risen approximately 10% since January 2022. Throughout the past year, we have served a record number 1,500 families per month. We expect this number to surge as SNAP reductions take place. DONATE NOW Your donations are very important to help us meet the expected surge in demand. Click here to make a financial donation. Food donations are accepted 24×7 at our after-hours drop

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources (PRCR) Department will present “Memorial Day Remembrance Walls of Honor” throughout May at E. Carroll Joyner Park, Alston-Massenburg Center, and Flaherty Park. In recognition of the service and sacrifice of women and men in uniform, these Walls of Honor will bear the names of as many as 500 veterans submitted by members of our community. Through Friday, April 14, the PRCR Department will accept submissions, including the names of veterans, both living and deceased, along with the military branch in which they served, for inclusion on each wall. Please note: Names included on the Walls of Honor last year will be included again this year and do not need to be resubmitted. There is no cost and no limit to the number of veterans each person can submit. However, the maximum number of names that can be accepted is 500. Complete details,

The Town of Wake Forest will offer free Black History Month Walking Tours of the Northeast Community every Thursday in February at 1 p.m. Pre-registration is required by completing the online sign-up form at https://bit.ly/BHMWalkingTours. Space is limited to the first 15 participants to sign up for each tour. Led by staff from Historic Preservation Planning and the Wake Forest Historical Museum, the tours will include Olive Branch Baptist Church, Alston-Massenburg Center, the newly restored Ailey Young House, the African American Cemetery, and more. Along the way, each group will discuss the developmental and architectural history of the area, along with the significant men and women who shaped the Northeast Community. Tours are outside only and will not include the inside of individual homes or buildings. Each tour is approximately 90 minutes and will begin at Taylor Street Park, 416 N. Taylor St., proceed south to East Spring Street, west

Based on the December 2022 Monthly Development Report, WF Planning Updated January 11, 2023 The updated Wake Forest population as of July 2022 is 54,274. In 2021 the population was 50,244. How rezoning and development requests are now heard Planning Director Courtney Tanner gave this response to a query: All legislative cases (rezonings) have a public hearing at the Commissioner meeting and a public comment session at the Planning Board. A special use permit has a public hearing at the Commissioner meeting. Administrative (correct zoning and comply with the UDO) cases are approved at the staff level. Two contentious requests *The Joyner Property on Capital Boulevard is a plan for 249 single-family lots and 137 townhouse lots on the former Wake Forest Country Club site, but the engineers at McAdams Engineering have revised the plan five times, town planners and other department officials have raised questions/issues over 100 times and

You’re invited to join Mayor Vivian Jones for the 2023 State of the Town Address & Dinner on Monday, Feb. 20, at 6 p.m. Presented by the Wake Forest Rotary Club, the event will take place at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St. During her remarks, Mayor Jones will reflect on the successes and challenges of the Wake Forest community over the past year. She will also outline the goals the Town will strive towards in 2023. Advance tickets are $15 per person and include a catered meal and dinner music by local performing artist Ronald Williams. Tickets can be purchased online with a Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover credit card at https://bit.ly/WFStateofTown. Tickets may also be purchased at the Renaissance Centre Box Office with cash, check, or credit card. A limited number of tickets are available, so the event is expected to sell out. Dress