On Jan. 27, professor Darryl Howard and his philosophy students went to Minnie’s Food Pantry as part of their service learning activity to further understand the philosophy mean- ing of eudaemonia. The greek term, means happiness, good spirit or well-being.
All those three things leads to the good life, a concept coined by philosopher Aristotle in his Nicomachean Ethics. Hu- mans tend to seek to achieve eudaemonia on a daily basis with the major decisions they make, which can reveal the desire of self-gratification.
Howard said, “I want my stu- dents to learn that life requires them to serve others and help them experience eudaemonia.”
As lovers of wisdom, which is the literal meaning of philosophy, they wanted to learn philosophy by living philosophy.
“The purpose for this service learning activity is to teach my students how to live philosophy even as they’re learning it,” Howard said.
Students woke up early that Saturday morning to help at Minnie’s Food Pantry, owned by Cheryl Jackson.
Dallas College student Eduardo Villanueva said, “I am fortunate enough to have enough to eat whereas others are not and serving them is truly a privilege I do not take for granted.”
Jackson opened her food pantry based on her personal experience with food insecurity.
Jackson said: “I’d strategically go to my friends house at dinner time to feed my two children as well as my husband. Then one day I told myself that there has to be a better way. I applied for food stamps and got declined. It was such a horrific experience.”
Now, she wants people to understand that struggling is not inherently bad and can be a tem- porary situation if they continue to work toward overcoming it.
Dallas College student Heidi Silva said: “ We have learned the concept of eudaemonia in my philosophy class which is the key to happiness. Happiness doesn’t just belong to our- selves but also to others. Being in Minnie’s Food Bank enables us to be able to practice what was preached unto us. Through these boxes, I hope to add closure when it comes to how the person receiving it will be able to feed themselves.”
“We do not just feed their bodies but their minds as well,” Jackson said.
Minnie’s Food Pantry offers empowerment classes where people can learn about budget- ing, credit among many others in order to help elevate them- selves. “I believe if you can tap into a person’s mind, they can get to the next dimension in their lives,” she said.
Student Cheynne Parker said his experience volunteering at Minnie’s Food Pantry was great because everyone worked dili- gently to make Saturday a successful day.
“This experience has changed my views on how I do community,” Parker said. “Al- though I am involved in community services with my church every second Sunday of the month, being here has broadened my horizons seeing the impact.”
Student Breanna Cox said she felt challenged in the fast paced environment.
“I am hoping to add joy and help to the lives of the people coming as we learn a lot about it in my philosophy class,” Cox said. “Volunteer- ing through my philosophy class has changed the way I view community service as we are all working hard together as a community.”
Howard said: “When they help others improve their lives, they in return receive the good life not just as learners of philosophy but also as doers of philosophy. As an individual, my takeaway is achieving the good life not for the mere sake of achieving it but also helping others get to it.”
