The Right to Food — with Paul Taylor

FoodShare’s Executive Director and lifelong anti-poverty activist Paul Taylor joins host Am Johal in this episode of Below the Radar. In this conversation, they delve into the work Paul has done in both Toronto and Vancouver with various activist organizations such as FoodShare, the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House, and Gordon Neighbourhood House. Paul shares his experience growing up in a low-income household and dealing with food insecurity, and the ways that traditional charity models fall short. He challenges these charity systems that place responsibility on fellow community members, rather than governments and policymakers. Together, they explore the notion of the right to food, particularly in the pandemic climate, and advocacy for greater systemic change. Paul concludes this conversation by encouraging listeners to consider a world of possibility, and come together to demand political leadership that focuses on justice. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/127-paul-taylor.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/127-paul-taylor.html Resources: — Paul Taylor’s website: https://www.paultaylorto.com/ — FoodShare: https://foodshare.net/ — Gordon Neighbourhood House: https://gordonhouse.org/ — Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House: https://www.dtesnhouse.ca/ — Nourish Scotland: https://www.nourishscotland.org/ — Global Solidarity Alliance: https://rightsnotcharity.org/ — WhyHunger: https://whyhunger.org/ Bio: Paul Taylor is the Executive Director of FoodShare Toronto, and a lifelong anti-poverty activist. 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 patriarchal structures. Each year, FoodShare provides a quarter million people with fresh produce, and fights for their right to have access to “good” food on their own terms, rather than charity on someone else’s. Paul’s experience includes Executive Director roles at Gordon Neighbourhood House and the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House. He has also chaired the British Columbia Poverty Reduction Coalition, served on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and as Vice-Chair of Food Secure Canada. Cite this episode: Chicago Style Johal, Am. “The Right to Food — with Paul Taylor” Below the Radar, SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement. Podcast audio, June 29, 2021. https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/127-paul-taylor.html