Photo includes: Work-Work team members and chefs from Two Good Co. 

Two Good started as a soup kitchen in Kings Cross twelve years ago. Rob (the founder of Two Good) met firsthand with people experiencing homelessness and was encouraged by their response to the food he was serving. People were genuinely excited by the food they were eating. Rob knew he was onto something.

The soup kitchen still serves organic, high quality, and wholesome food to those doing it tough. Four years ago, after much consultation with women’s services, the Two Good social enterprise was born. They started selling the same high-quality meals to the public. For every meal sold, a meal was given to a woman experiencing domestic violence and/or homelessness. Since then, 170,000 meals have been given to women in need across Australia. Now, Two Good have expanded to self-care products as well as bespoke products, like throws and apparel.

“There’s already plenty of free food on the market. What we focus on is quality. Our mission is to demonstrate love and respect. Many of the women we work with cannot afford an Aesop quality skin lotion or a Kylie Kwong meal with organic produce but they deserve it and we want to make sure that they experience this. It’s about a moment of self-worth.” Alex Nagle, Social Impact Manager at Two Good.

Two Good donate on a weekly basis to 30 women’s organisations across Sydney. One of these is Bonnie’s. This includes donating meals, care packs made up of good quality shampoo, lotions, body washes, and bespoke items such as sleepwear and blankets.

Two Good have a small team of four chefs who run the commercial kitchen and oversee the food production. They also do cooking classes in women’s refuges. Every other employee in the kitchen is a member of their Work-Work program. Women are referred to the program from different organisations and work in the kitchen at Two Good. They have now employed almost 50 women and have 35 graduates. They work about 20 hours a week for between 4-6 months.

Underpinning the Work-Work program is the focus on personal development. It’s about reminding women of their potential, as this is often damaged through trauma and abuse. Work-Work improves women’s employability and facilitates pathways to permanent employment beyond the Two Good kitchen. Two Good partner with corporates that have similar values and offer work experience in different industries to help the transition.

In Alex’s words…

80% of our graduates go onto permanent work. Employment secures independence and frees graduates from the Centrelink and public housing systems. We’ve worked with many women who were homeless with very uncertain futures. It’s inspiring to witness them become self-sufficient and rediscover their confidence.

We are always asking ourselves… how can we have more impact? We are really proud that we are walking the talk and not afraid to get our hands dirty. From the point of view of the women who come and work with us, experiencing the momentum of a workday, earning an income and sharing in this mission of demonstrating love and respect, is a very powerful aspect to our operation.

We are really passionate about the work that we do and we care deeply for the women that join our community. We are in many ways like a family. You can’t not be touched by these powerful stories, and you can’t not celebrate success when you see people overcome hardship, own their narrative and claim a bright and prosperous future for themselves.

With Bonnie’s I get the sense that they take their work really seriously. There’s a mix of care and professionalism. And they do it in a kind and caring way. I was super impressed by the size and the scope of what Bonnies’ is doing in the area. It’s a much bigger operation than most of the services that we have come across. I was also impressed to see such a mix of cultures and backgrounds within the staff.