PAIGE'S STORY.

FOOD
IS MORE
THAN FOOD.

Trigger warning: this brave story discusses family + domestic violence, trauma and homelessness. Please read with care.

“I feel like food can definitely be a message of love. The time it takes preparing those shelter meals, knowing that it's feeding someone in need, being such good quality, too - the time and care taken with making sure someone is getting the right nutrients. I feel like they’re a very good gateway into helping people and making them feel loved.

I cooked a little bit as a hobby, for my foster family – I would cook HelloFresh and make us dinner. My parents ended work pretty late, so being able to make sure that task was done for them…it felt good.

When we eat lunch together at Two Good, I definitely feel the love. And it felt like giving other people love too - because when someone creates their meals for everyone, we’re able to tell them they did such a fantastic job. It’s very rewarding to hear that you've done good, too. The meal that I made at lunch was a Korean bibimbap - something I'd been wanting to make, because I go to a lot of Korean BBQs.

It felt nice, knowing that people enjoyed it. It made me feel like my skills were…enough.

“When I first started Two Good, I felt more like a shadow. ”

I didn't feel heard; I just felt like I wasn’t going to become something. But after working at Two Good, I've met people who've actually shown me what they see in me. They’ve shown me my great qualities.

Even just being able to be proud of myself. I'm proud of the person I've become. I'm proud that I've been able to reflect on situations. I'm proud that I've been able to build myself up without taking things personally. I'm proud that I'm able to help other women. I'm proud that I'm able to create good friendships through the workplace.

When I first started, I had problems with anxiety; there'd be times where I felt like everyone was against me. When you grow up with a lot of negative words and stuff, you tend to subconsciously flip the positive into a negative – the good stuff kind of throws you off a bit. But knowing that people can be genuinely nice, and that they genuinely care for you - knowing there’s real people out there with good intentions, has been so healing for me and my inner child.

Two Good has been a great learning opportunity for social skills, boundaries, how to form business relationships. I have struggled with maintaining relationships, so understanding how other people work and how to be around different personalities, it's a big step up into the real world.

Two Good is giving women a second chance. It’s so important in our society - especially with how employment works. It's taking someone’s strengths, their courage, helping them with their insecurities, and letting them experience a better way of life. It’s giving them all the skills they need and setting them up. I feel like everyone should experience this type of support in their life.

To anyone considering the Work Work program, I’d say - this is a place where you can learn to rebuild old ways. And I would tell her, things will get better. It doesn’t matter how old you are - because some people think that it's too late. But I would remind them that it's never too late, everyone deserves to feel good about themselves.

Everyone deserves a second chance.

CHANGING
THE COURSE.

My life has been really rocky. When I was three years old, I was put into foster care. My parents were alcoholics; there was lots of domestic violence, substance abuse, neglect. So I was put into the foster care system. I struggled making attachments; I had over 32 foster homes, so there was a lack of stability in my life. I had so many foster families, and I experienced countless forms of abuse during foster care. Domestic violence, homelessness…I couldn't learn the proper ways of life, I couldn’t really learn how to speak.

And I know, sometimes you can't understand unless you’ve experienced it. But if there’s carers out there, or people who are looking to start fostering, I'd just like to say…these kids come from very, very rough backgrounds. Please, be kinder to them. They might not have been able to experience really positive relationships - all they've ever known has been hard.

In my case, when I was younger, I had lots of outbursts - it was the only way my parents would listen to me, when they were on drugs, so tantrums were the only times they would react to me. So please, don't give up on them. I know it's very difficult, but there will be success stories. They’re only human after all, and they've been given an unfair start into this world. You can’t put an old head on young shoulders…but that doesn't mean you can't help them get better, and help them enter the adult world as a new person.

When I was 16, I was put into a group home. It was really hard on me, especially because we went through the second COVID lockdown in 2021. I was alone. My health declined, my mind wasn't doing the best, I struggled with insomnia. And then when I turned 18, I was really scared. My entire life, I only knew foster care…knowing that I would have no case managers was really scary to me. I was put into an independent housing situation that helps foster children and teenagers transition out of the foster care world. I really struggled to find employment. I was living off Centrelink and that was really hard for me, because I had to pay a certain amount of rent, I had my bills, and I was only left with so much…I was really struggling to eat.

One day, I got a call one day from my new job provider, and she told me that there was this program called Two Good Co, would I like to try it out? And that was how it all started.

TWOMORROW.

From where I've come from, to how drastically my life has changed in six months, I know Two Good has changed the course of my life. When I first joined the program, I was very skeptical about how it could really help…but I didn't realise that it was the people you meet, the opportunities you're given, the lessons you're taught.

They helped me with my boundaries, my relationships, how to properly form good attachments. All the chefs and the managers, my coach from Channel 9 - she's such a lovely person - it was very easy to get along with her - everyone here makes you feel supported and grounded.

I’ve learned so much. I had no idea how to manage a job interview, but now I know. I know what to say, I know how to prepare myself. I know one of the goals is getting employment after the program, but even if I wasn't to get a job straight after this, I'd still be very much grateful for what I’ve learnt.

I have a rough idea of what I’d like to do once I graduate Work Work. I'd like to test out the waters a bit and have a feel for each industry, maybe going into the office work industry and see how I like that. But my future goal in life is to get into psychology, to help young people and adults understand themselves. In five years’ time I'd like to complete some studying…I can't really tell yet, but I just feel like if I work hard, I'll achieve what I’d like to.

I really do feel more confident and independent than I did before Work Work. Knowing that I've gotten up every day and worked, it's helped with my goals and my work ethic. I've had a feel for working. I’ve had a feel for being in a routine. It’s been great to see that I’m able to live my life comfortably and not struggle…just knowing I'm gonna be okay. I'd say that's the most important thing of all, knowing that I'm not going to suffer.

“…it’s confirmed something I thought I wasn't capable of. It's proven I'm capable of great things.”