Volunteer Spotlight: Nancy Saul-Demers

Meet Nancy! While you may be drawn in by her stylish glasses and endless positivity, you will soon find that there is more to Nancy than meets the eye. Thanks to her extensive communications expertise, she has been an integral part of helping us grow as an organization and be responsive and innovative in the face of new challenges.

Hear what she has to say about her experience as a valued Nourish volunteer below:

What drew you to get involved with Nourish NS?

I first became aware of Nourish NS as I sat in Wolfville’s Al Whittle Theatre, taking in Devour! The Food Film Fest. I heard Margo Riebe-Butt speak about the organization’s mandate and programs and was consistently intrigued by what she said and struck by the way in which she conveyed her message with such conviction. Living in the Annapolis Valley I am regularly reminded that despite the awesome bounty that grows here, food and nutrition insecurity are very real. Nourish’s work tackles this on so many levels that when the opportunities arose to join the Business Team in February 2020 and the Communications Team in May, I couldn’t resist.

What initiatives/work are you most proud of?

Who knew 2020 would offer so many opportunities for Nourish to demonstrate extraordinary agility – to remain true to our shared values and focused on our mandate while innovating quickly, delivering differently and engaging our communities in different ways? I am grateful that the folks at Nourish collectively had the courage to make some grueling decisions to revamp and proceed with important programs like Nourish Your Roots that were threatened by COVID restrictions, when it would have been so much easier to simply postpone or forgo them. At a time when some other organizations are belatedly realizing the need to be decisive about big projects and realizing the drastic costs of allowing programs to go into “sleeper mode” due to COVID, Nourish is ready to reap the benefits of having harnessed technology and strong, open two-way communication when challenged.

What words of wisdom do you have for someone who is interested in learning more about volunteering with Nourish NS?

Do you enjoy being surrounded by bright, creative, committed and open-minded people? Do you enjoy conversations that challenge you intellectually? If so, perhaps Nourish NS would be a place you’d enjoy volunteering. It seems to me that the impressive capacity of Nourish just keeps expanding. Though I haven’t been involved with the organization for long – it’s been about 10 months now – I’m no longer the newbie on the Business Team or on the Communications Team. If you’re passionate about food literacy or food security, check out the wealth of resources on the Nourish web site. If you have some time and talent to offer, how could you resist the opportunity to be a part of this impactful organization?

Thanks for everything you do Nancy! To learn more about our current volunteer opportunities and sign up, visit our Volunteer page.