Rahul Raj
A role model for young social entrepreneurs
Time magazine called his organization “revolutionary”; Macleans described it as, “one of the most creative non-profits in Canada”. Rahul Raj, creator and founder of Meal Exchange is an example of how untraditional methods, perseverance and a commitment to helping others, can lead to making a difference in the lives of thousands of needy people.
In 1993, Meal Exchange began doing what no other organization had done before – mobilizing university students in a unique food collection drive for the needy. To date Meal Exchange has donated more than $1.4 million worth of food to Canada’s poor and has grown from a small campaign on one campus to one that reaches into every province across Canada.
A light eater, Rahul decided in his first year at Wilfrid Laurier University he couldn’t eat the more than $1200 worth of food he was required to purchase in his two-semester meal plan. When the university would not allow him to substitute a smaller plan, he decided to donate his excess meals to needy people in the area. He encouraged others to do the same. Meal Exchange was born.
“Thousands of students participated. Many believed they didn’t have the means to contribute but it made us all recognize the power of students to address hunger,” says Rahul.
Since its launch, Meal Exchange has added innovative events like Trick or Eat, a food collection campaign that takes costumed students out into the streets during Halloween to collect food for local food banks, soup kitchens and shelters. Large corporations like Kraft Canada and Canada Safeway Foundation sponsor the Trick or Eat campaign, supporting its launch and matching pound for pound donations.
Today Meal Exchange is a student success story but Rahul admits it wasn’t always easy. At one point his line of credit to cover administrative costs ran out and he was on the brink of personal bankruptcy. Rahul, who graduated with a degree in business from Laurier, eventually got the organization on a sound financial footing.
Rahul sees leadership as a role requiring vision and humility. “Vision is number one: being able to see the change you want to realize, being able to articulate it, and helping others understand that the vision is shared together. The second aspect is humility. A true leader is not always ahead of the pack. Sometimes you are in the middle or behind,” says Rahul.
Rahul says Meal Exchange has had a profound effect on his life. “It’s been the single most important ongoing activity of my life, knowing I have made a little bit of a difference.” Rahul remains involved as chair of the Advisory Board for Meal Exchange and works professionally as a marketing and branding strategist for In-Sync, a Toronto based marketing firm. He hopes to assist other young social entrepreneurs to tackle social issues and effect change.
“Canada is a great place, but it is not without flaws. The template needs to be further refined for us to become a model country; students can play a critical role in refining that model.”
Rahul hopes he has planted a seed in the minds of students in Canada that they have the power and the resources to make Canada and the world a better place ” You always have the means to help, you just have to find your means,” he says.
Rahul found the means 13 years ago and says continued student support of Meal Exchange makes him optimistic. “What I am really trying to do is to unleash the possibility of young people. They have so much potential that’s going relatively un-harnessed. If we can tap into them and help them tap into each other they will really be a force to be reckoned with and can change the future of Canada, now.”
Rahul participated in the 2002-2003 Leaders for Change program.
