Our speaker for December 18th was Teresa Williams, representing Feed My Starving Children, a nonprofit organization founded in 1987 that focuses on helping feed the hungry and serve those in need. Every year, millions of children die from preventable causes such as pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria and malnutrition. Hunger is causing nearly half of deaths in children under 5 years old. From this data, an estimate is at least 6,200 children die each day from causes related to under-nutrition.
FMSC believes hope starts with food. They work with food distribution partners that stay with communities for the long haul, empowering them to move from relief to development. FMSC meals are developed by food science and nutrition professionals to supplement nutritional needs and reduce problems with malnutrition, allowing children to grow, thrive and develop to their full potential.
There are many ways individuals and groups can become involved and help.
Charlie Goff, President of Superstition Area Land Trust (SALT), spoke to us about SALT's dedication to preserving the Sonoran Desert foothills. which are rich in native habitats, wildlife, and watersheds. SALT is working hard to keep the area pristine.The land is a small but significant portion of the more than 9 million acres managed by the Arizona State Land Department. The Department’s mandate is to use state trust land to generate revenues for beneficiaries, including Arizona K-12 education. As urban sprawl extends eastward from the Phoenix suburbs, however, developers are increasingly eyeing state trust land for purchase. Recognizing the vulnerability of these boundary state trust lands, SALT began collaborating with local, county, state, and federal entities to conserve the land as natural open space.
SALT was formed to work for the conservation of the Arizona State Land Department (ASLD) lands south of the Superstition Wilderness Area (SWA) (the Superstition Foothills [SF]) - which are threatened by development. This would create a buffer zone between the SWA and new development, thus lessening development impacts, protecting ecosystems, and providing recreation opportunities and economic benefits. SALT must continually work to raise substantial funds to buy the most sensitive open spaces of this treasure trove of our vanishing Sonoran Desert for our current and future generations.
Club member, Dorothy Homan told us about her career as a paleontologist. Her talk, which included an assortment of samples to show the group, was fascinating.
Paleontology is the study of the history of life on Earth based on fossils. Fossils are the remains of plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, and single-celled living things that have been replaced by rock material or impressions of organisms preserved in rock. Paleontology lies on the border between biology and geology, but it differs from archeology in that it excludes the study of anatomically modern humans. It now uses techniques drawn from various sciences, including biochemistry, mathematics, and engineering. All these techniques have enabled paleontologists to discover much of the evolutionary history of life, almost back to when Earth became capable of supporting life, nearly 4 billion years ago.
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We held our 2024 Holiday party on December 7th. A good time was had by all Club members, spouses, and friends who attended!
Our speaker for December 18th was Teresa Williams, representing Feed My Starving Children,
Charlie Goff, President of Superstition Area Land Trust (SALT), spoke to us about SALT's dedication to preserving the Sonoran Desert foothills. which are rich in native habitats, wildlife, and watersheds. SALT is working hard to keep the area pristine.The land is a small but significant portion of the more than 9 million acres managed by the Arizona State Land Department. The Department’s mandate is to use state trust land to generate revenues for beneficiaries, including Arizona K-12 education. As urban sprawl extends eastward from the Phoenix suburbs, however, developers are increasingly eyeing state trust land for purchase. Recognizing the vulnerability of these boundary state trust lands, SALT began collaborating with local, county, state, and federal entities to conserve the land as natural open space.
Club member, Dorothy Homan told us about her career as a paleontologist. Her talk, which included an assortment 
of samples to show the group, was fascinating.