Donate attire for business at drive

CHAPEL HILL -- Join University Mall and Dress for Success from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and donate women's gently used business attire (suits, separates, scarves, dresses, briefcases, purses, shoes and accessories) to Dress For Success. In return, get a 20 percent discount off one time in all participating stores. There will also be a fashion show at 2 p.m.

The event will be at the mall. For more details, click on http://www.dressforsuccess.org/affiliate.aspx?pageid=&sisid=133

Health gala set for Saturday

HILLSBOROUGH -- The Northern Orange Black Voters Alliance and Fairview Community Watch Group are sponsoring a free community health gala at Fairview Community Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

There will be health screenings available including blood pressure checks, diabetes and nutrition information, and numerous community groups will be presenting information and entertainment with fun activities, games, prizes and surprises.

The UNC Air Care Helicopter is scheduled for a visit.

For more information, contact Thomas Watson at (919) 732-2471 or thomaswatson30@yahoo.com

Fresh food drive to feed hungry

CARRBORO -- The Carrboro Farmers' Market FoodShare Challenge hosts "Buy A Bag, Give A Bag," a fresh food drive at the market, from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday.

The goal is to raise 1,000 pounds of food to feed the hungry. Market shoppers are being asked to fill up an extra bag with fruit, vegetables, baked goods, eggs, cheese or meat and donate it to feed the hungry in Durham, Orange, Chatham and Wake counties.

There will be a fun "weigh-in" station, kids' activities and information from local nonprofit organizations on how to ensure that all members of the community have regular access to nutritious food. According to the USDA, North Carolina ranks above the national average for prevalence of hunger and food insecurity.

School board forum slated

CHAPEL HILL -- The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education candidate forum Hosted by the PTA Council and League of Women Voters will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Oct. 13th in Chapel Hill Town Council Chambers, 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

The event will be televised by Time Warner Cablevision Channel 18, and moderated by Mark Peters, CHCCS PTA Council legislative chairman.

The candidates are: Michelle (Shell) Brownstein, Susana L. Dancy, J.M. (Joe) Green, MaryAnne Gucciardi, Christine Lee and Gregory McElveen

The public may submit questions in person at the forum or via the PTA Council Web site (www.ptacouncil.com). Questions from the audience and via the Web site will be taken during the forum as long as there are no technical difficulties.

Audio and video of the school board forum will be posted after the event on www.ptacouncil.com

The PTA and League of Women Voters do not endorse candidates.

Author to speak at N.C. Garden

CHAPEL HILL -- Author Doug Tallamy will speak at the N.C. Botanical Garden's new Education Center at 2 p.m. Oct. 11 on the theme "Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens."

It is the 10th Annual Jenny Fitch Memorial Lecture. There will be a reception and book signing after the free lecture. Call (919) 962-0522 to register because space is limited.

Tallamy will explain that native plants play a key role in the restoration of landscapes because only natives provide the co-evolved relationships required by most animals. By supporting a diversity of insect herbivores, native plants provide food for a large and healthy community of natural enemies that keep herbivores in balance and gardens aesthetically pleasing.

"Gardening in this crowded world carries moral and ecological responsibilities that we can no longer ignore," said Tallmy. "With as many as 33,000 species imperiled in the U.S., it is clear that we must change our approach to gardening and landscaping if we hope to share the spaces we live and work in with other living things."

Tallamy is professor and chairman of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware in Newark.

The North Carolina Botanical Garden is located off of U.S. 15-501 at 100 Old Mason Farm Road in Chapel Hill. More information can be found at http://ncbg.unc.edu.