Dr. Virginia “Gina” (Frendzel) Ayers ‘84 had a vision: create an endowment for Eastern’s Eagle’s Essentials Food and Hygiene Pantry, thereby ensuring that future generations of Eastern students would never be without basic needs. Gina so strongly believes in this program for all future Eastern students that she has personally offered a powerful challenge: Every gift made to Eagle’s Essentials through Thanksgiving will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to $25,000. 

A psychology and biology major at Eastern, Gina worked multiple jobs to make ends meet. She cleaned bathrooms in Kea Hall, working in the library and cafeteria, eventually serving as a Resident Assistant. “Back then, I had about ten dollars a month total in spending money to meet basic food, travel, clothes, and text book bills,” said Gina. This experience gave her clear insight into how food insecurity impacts students. 

Eagle’s Essentials has grown since its inception in 2019 from a small student-led initiative into a welcoming space in Kea-Guffin Hall where students facing food and basic-needs insecurity can find nourishment, dignity, and care. Currently it runs on a given year’s generosity: grants, drives, and gifts that must be renewed again and again. A good year keeps the shelves full; a lean year leaves them bare at exactly the moment students need them most. An endowment ends that uncertainty. It is the difference between feeding students this semester and promising provision for every semester to come. 

So now is the time to answer Gina’s call to action: She so strongly believes in this cause that she has personally offered a powerful challenge: She will match every gift to Eagle’s Essentials through Thanksgiving, dollar for dollar, up to $25,000.