Nick Saul

Nick Saul (born August 9, 1966) is a Canadian food and social justice activist, author, and the President and CEO of Community Food Centres Canada.^[1]

Early life

Saul was born in Tanzania where his parents taught and studied at the University of East Africa in Dar Es Salaam, and were active in the liberation struggles of the Southern African states.^[2] The family moved back to Canada in 1972.^[3] Saul completed his undergraduate studies in history at University of Toronto and his master's studies in sociology at Warwick University in the UK, where he was a Commonwealth Scholar.^[4]

Career

After graduating in 1993, Saul became a community organizer, working with public housing tenants in Alexandra Park (the first conversion of a public housing community into a co-operative in Canada) and homeless men on the east side of Toronto.^[3]

In 1998, Saul became Executive Director of The Stop Community Food Centre. During his tenure at the organization, he and staff transformed it from a small, under-resourced food bank to a thriving, internationally respected Community Food Centre offering programs in the areas of food access, food skills, and education and engagement. The Stop's work is underpinned by the idea that food is a basic human right and an important tool for building health, skills, hope, inclusion and social change.

In September 2012, Saul left The Stop with a group of colleagues to launch Community Food Centres Canada (CFCC).^[5] CFCC is a national organization that provides resources to partner organizations across Canada to establish Community Food Centres. Community Food Centres provide access to healthy food, food skills classes, gardening space, and advocacy programs for low-income communities to.^[6] As of October 2016, there are eight Community Food Centres across Canada in Toronto,^[7][7] Perth,^[8] Stratford,^[9] Winnipeg,^[10] Dartmouth,^[11] Calgary,^[12] and Hamilton.^[13] CFCC also works with organizations within the broader food movement to advocate for a fair food system.

Awards

Jane Jacobs' Prize, 2008^[14][15]

The Golden Jubilee Medal, 2012^[16]

Honourary Doctor of Laws degree, Faculty of Community Services, Ryerson University, 2016^[17]

Works

The Stop

In 2013, Saul and his wife, Andrea Curtis, published The Stop: How the Fight for Good Food Transformed a Community and Inspired a Movement with Random House. The book was also published by Melville House in the U.S. The book details how Saul transformed The Stop from a food bank to a community hub, and how this transformation became the catalyst for a national Community Food Centre program. Saul and Curtis use this experience to argue the need for an overhaul of the food charity system to one rooted in food justice that empowers low-income communities. The book received multiple accolades including:

Finalist, OLA Evergreen Award, 2014^[18]

Finalist, Toronto Book Awards, 2014^[19]

Finalist, Heritage Toronto Award, 2014^[20]

Winner, Taste Canada Awards: English-language Culinary Narratives Category, 2014^[21]

References

External links

• Community Food Centres Canada
• Nick Saul at TEDxToronto
• Article archive at The Huffington Post

Video

• Nick Saul and Andrea Curtis, The Stop — interview with the City of Toronto
• Nick Saul: Food with dignity — interview with Steve Paikan, The Agenda, TVO
• Nick Saul: Health happens when you fight for it — Walrus Talks