Join Our Board of Directors

ABOUT MAZON CANADA:

MAZON Canada feeds Canadians of all ages, ethnicities, faiths and abilities on behalf of the Jewish community by supporting front-line food projects across the country with grant funding, and mobilizing the Jewish community towards hunger-fighting political advocacy.

We grant about $1M each year to over 200 front-line food programs, prioritizing small, grassroots projects and those led by and for under-served populations [read more about our funding model here]. Last year, we provided 310,000 meals in ~100 Canadian towns and cities, including hot meals at shelters, school breakfasts, food bank hampers, and more. In 2025, we’re developing our advocacy work with a new strategic plan. 

ABOUT THE BOARD EXPERIENCE:  

Here's how our board described their experience at Mazon at our last strategic visioning session: openminded, creative, collaborative, strategic, intentional, professional, contemporary, out-of-the-box, joyful, grounded, energized.  

Mazon's board is a hybrid governance / working Board. That means members oversee broad institutional strategy and governance while also holding specific roles where they directly contribute to projects outside of Board meetings (ie, on committees like Advocacy, Allocations or Fundraising). 

Mazon's current board has seven members and is looking to grow intentionally, slowly, and selectively to a maximum of twelve. Current members are: Amy Steele (Chair), Laurel Rothman (Treasurer and Advocacy Chair), Carrie Mazoff (HR Chair), Tai Jacob (Governance Chair), and directors Laurence Barchichat, Shelley Rivkin,  and Talia Ralph.  

Three current members are based in Toronto, three in Montreal, and one in Vancouver. As an organization with a national mandate, we are particularly interested in recruiting more geographically and experientially diverse board members (see 'priorities' below).  

Mazon has experienced a period of incredible growth in the last five years, with average annual revenues now nearly double 2019 levels, and holds a healthy non-endowed reserve. As a result, we are well situated to take (reasonable) risks on creative experiments to reach new people and further our impact.  

In other words, Mazon is not a bureaucratic behemoth. We are a small, dynamic, collaborative environment where a motivated lay leader can really make a difference.  

Never sat on a Board before? Not 100% sure what it entails? If you're a smart, passionate person looking to make a difference through a regular volunteer commitment, read on and get in touch! 

REQUIREMENTS: 

For all members, membership requires:

• An availability of 8-10 hours a month on average, including ~6 full-Board meetings a year, spent running independent committee initiatives, participating in Board education processes, representing Mazon in your communities, etc.

• Knowledge of and passion for Canadian food security and/or poverty and relevant policy – or a strong willingness to commit the time to learn.

• Knowledge of the Canadian Jewish community, including its institutions and ideological currents, as well as our traditions and culture - or a strong willingness to commit the time to learn.

• A cooperative, supportive attitude, leaving egos at the door, seeking to balance bold new ideas with data-driven decision-making to make the best choices possible to benefit food-insecure Canadians.

PRIORITIES: 

To balance our current board, we will prioritize (but not require) members that: 

• Are outside of Ontario and Quebec (especially BC and Manitoba); 

• Have skills and expertise that can help us fulfill our operational and mission-oriented goals. Current priorities include: 

  • Finance / Accounting / Investing  

  • Government / Legislative / Policy 

  • Marketing / PR / Communications / Public speaking 

  • Fundraising 

  • Education 

  • Religious / Spiritual leadership 

  • Lived experience of food insecurity and/or poverty 

  • Work experience with direct food aid programs 

  • Experience with poverty relief work (not food-focused) 

  • Academic experience related to food insecurity/systems 

  • Broad Jewish-world social networks  

HOW TO INQUIRE OR APPLY: 

To get in touch, please fill out our Board Membership Interest Form [CLICK HERE].

If you have questions, please contact our relevant Co-Executive Director, Izzy Waxman, at izzy@mazoncanada.ca.