Is my only option now, aside from earning EK points from paid flights, to purchase the additional 50k points from EK?
I'm not sure even purchased points can go into family pool. It's really quite useless.
From the FAQ on 14 Feb 2024:
Can I contribute all the Miles I earn from Emirates Skywards partners to the My Family account? Yes, you can contribute up to 100% of the Miles you earn on flights with Emirates, flydubai and other airline partners, as well as the Miles you earn with our bank, hotel, car rental, retail and lifestyle partners. Only the Miles you’ve earned with financial conversion partners can’t be pooled into your My Family account.