As we look to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, we know that now, more than ever, we cannot go back to the way things were. From the climate crisis to deep social inequalities, the challenges of our time require us to build the Next Economy – one that is sustainable, equitable, and prosperous for all.
Next Economy Conversations, the Centre for Social Innovation's monthly event series, is your chance to hear from incredible leaders helping to build this Next Economy. Learn about their work as well as their personal journeys, lessons learned along the way, and their visions for the future.
On Thursday, February 4, we're sitting down with Paul Taylor, Executive Director of FoodShare.
About FoodShare
Food is a right. That's why FoodShare advocates for food justice by supporting community-based initiatives through ongoing advocacy and public education. Their vision is a city where all people can feed themselves, their loved ones and their communities with dignity and joy. From urban farms to affordable produce markets to community kitchens, every year they reach over 260,000 people across Toronto.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, FoodShare has partnered with over 80 groups and agencies across the city to distribute Emergency Good Food Boxes of fresh produce straight to the doors of households facing food insecurity. So far they've distributed over 1 million pounds of produce to folks across the city who have been hardest hit by this health crisis, and pivoted their in-person programming online to continue to work alongside the communities who have long experienced the most poverty and food insecurity - Black, Indigenous, People of Colour and People with Disabilities.
About our guest, Paul Taylor
Paul Taylor is Executive Director of FoodShare Toronto and a lifelong anti-poverty activist having worked both here and in Vancouver. Growing up materially poor in Toronto, Paul has used his experience to fuel a career focused not just on helping others, but dismantling the beliefs and systems that lead to poverty and food insecurity, including colonialism, capitalism, white supremacy, and patriarchy. In 2020, Taylor was named one of Canada’s Top 40 under 40 and Toronto Life's 50 Most Influential Torontonians of the year.
About our host, Barnabe Geis
Barnabe Geis is the Director of Programs at the Centre for Social Innovation, where he designs and runs programs that grow startups and organizations with a social and/or environmental purpose. Barnabe leads Climate Ventures – an incubator, coworking space, and a range of accelerators that support entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders working on climate solutions – and has raised millions in funding for climate action programs. He is an Ariane de Rothschild Fellow, and holds a Masters in Journalism from Columbia University.
