As the country heads into a holiday season where so many festivities are focused on food, it’s important to highlight the issues of hunger, poverty and food insecurity. The holidays can be expensive and, when money is already tight, those below the poverty line may feel increased shame and loss of dignity. 

Eastfield offered a unique opportunity for students and community members alike with the Bowls for Hunger event on Nov. 2. Anyone was able to register for a spot to learn how to create a ceramic bowl in this free class. The bowls are later donated to the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) with the help of their partner, Trinity Ceramic Supply. Bowls from throughout the DFW area then used in NTFB’s annual “Empty Bowl” fundraising event in February.  

Professor Eric Thayer organized the Eastfield event. He instructed participants in the process of pottery making, including throwing clay on a wheel, scoring the pieces and the importance of drying times, saying, “The ceramic process is really stretched out because these have to dry properly.” His explanation helped students understand why they wouldn’t see their pieces fully complete during the course of one workshop. In the end, each student worked on two bowls and got a hands on demonstration of the ceramics process.

Beyond the teaching opportunity, the service aspect of the Empty Bowls Project is something Thayer is very passionate about. When questioned, he shared that the issue of hunger and food insecurity is personal for him. Thayer said he has been on food stamps multiple times during his life and, even now, he often utilizes the campus Food Pantry. “I’m borderline food insecure as a professor. Consider what that says about our cultural priorities — that folks who have worked as hard as I have, who have achieved what I have, are still not able to fully meet all their needs. And if that is the case, then I know there are so many others who are worse off than I am.” 

Resources like the on-campus Food Pantry are available to all students and staff daily, regardless of poverty level, and the Food Pantry staff encourage everyone to use their services.. The Food Pantry is also open to members of the community every Friday. Thayer said: “Poverty exacts a real tax on working folks. I’ve lived that life. It’s hard.” But in sharing his experiences, Thayer hopes others realize they are not alone. 

The Bowls event was a huge success, but a full classroom isn’t what Thayer was focused on. His hope was to “use my platform to try and benefit those who need help, because I genuinely empathize with their situation as a result of my own lived experience.”

If you want to help those in need this holiday season, consider donating financially or through food donations to your local community food banks. And if you are interested in seeing the finished pottery pieces from Eastfield, visit the NTFB and look for information about their fundraising event in February of 2025 by visiting https://ntfb.org.