Desert Messenger

April 17, 2024 www.DesertMessenger.com 13 Sherri Meeks, Secretary-Treasurer Quartzsite Art Guild welcomes new Officers for 2024-25 season. Karen Heneger, President Sherri Meeks, Secretary-Treasurer. The Guild is excited to hold college style classes at the Mountain Quail RV Park Recre- ation Hall, 490 Moon Mountain Ave. Quartzsite. They meet the second Thursday of each month NOVEM- BER THRU MARCH from 12:30 pm - 2:30pm. If you are interested in learning art basics, composition, shading, framing and more, please feel welcome to join for only $10. This will include materials and priv- ilege to show your art at the Guild Art shows. For information, contact Karen Heneger @ 928-287-0671, Sherri Meeks @ 270-331-3211. Quartzsite Art Guild new officers In times of need, food banks serve as lifelines for those facing hunger, in- cluding elderly individuals isolated at home without adequate provisions or support. For the elderly person in such dire circumstances, reaching out to a food bank can provide not only nour- ishment but also a sense of connection and care from the community. Food banks offer a range of as- sistance for those unable to leave their homes. Beyond the provision of sustenance, food banks often collaborate with social services to offer additional support, such as connecting individuals with local senior programs or community out- reach initiatives aimed at combat- ing loneliness. By bridging the gap between food insecurity and social isolation, food banks play a crucial role in safe- guarding the well-being of vulner- able elderly individuals, offering not just food for the body, but also comfort for the soul. We deeply appreciate the contri- butions from our community mem- bers and local organizations, as they play a crucial role in sustaining our operations. Your generosity not only helps us survive but thrive, especially dur- ing challenging times. As a privately owned nonprofit, we rely entirely on donations to fulfill our mission of supporting the Quartzsite, La Paz County community. There are various ways to support us. Consider donating money, a car, or an RV, leaving a gift in your will, or designating us as a beneficiary for your retirement accounts or stock investments. You can also utilize the AZ Tax Credit program, which allows you to redirect up to $841 owed taxes to us, providing vital support while also benefiting from IRS write-offs. make out checks to: FQFB PO Box 4051 Quartzsite, AZ 85359. To learn more about how you can help or to make a donation, visit Quartz- siteFoodBank.com. Our current operating hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 am to noon, changing to summer hours starting May 1st from 7 am to 11 am. Please remember to bring a picture ID when signing up for assistance. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our supporters and hard-working volunteers. If you're interested in joining our dedicated team, feel free to arrive 30 minutes before opening hours on Tuesdays or Thursdays and enter through the back gate and ask for Roberto. For more information, call 928-662-7000. Thank you for your continued support and dedica- tion to our cause. The Quartzsite Transit bus service offers complimentary rides to the food bank. For more information, simply call them at 928-927-4333 The Yuma Community Food Bank provides the Government, TEFAP & Senior boxes at the Arizona Western College 695 Kofa Ave - 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month from 8 am to 12. Check for updates at Yumafood- bank.org or call 928-343-1243. Thank you Roberto Salas Lois Dupre, President Friends of the Quartzsite Food Bank update Karen Heneger, President March 26th, 2024 Food Bank had a great meeting with La Paz County Sheriff Will Ponce when stopped by the food bank. Diiscussions about having the new Sheriff's Office trainees come volunteer at the Friends of the Quartzsite Food Bank again this summer as part of their community service. By Shanana Rain Golden-Bear Wenden, AZ - Arizona Attorney General (AG) Kris Mayes visited La Paz County for the third time in just the past year. Thursday, March 28, 2024, she held a Town Hall meeting at Centennial Community Center to hear about groundwater concerns in the area. Over 120 folks packed the hall to share their experiences with the AG for over 2 hours. Attorney General Mayes heard per- sonal stories of wells drying up, new fissures appearing, and many hard- ships endured by local residents and business owners. AG Hayes expressed her frustra- tion with previous administration and the Arizona Dept. of Water Resources (ADWR) for not acting swiftly, while defending Governor Katy Hobb's recent decision to can- cel the Saudi Arabia leases. "I believe that water is precious, and it belongs in the ground, and it belongs to this county, and it should not go to the Saudis, period!" She added, "The state of Arizona and ADWR should have designated this area as an AMA. The governor could do it tomorrow! I do think we have many tools available to us." "Every minute that ticks by is every minute that we are losing thousands of gallons of precious, irreplaceable water. This natural resource that is the lifeblood of our communities. Every minute that that legislature and the state government lets tick by makes me more and more in- clined for me to aggressive steps as the attorney general to help you." AG visits La Paz County

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