Rabbi Dovid Slavin is the man who never says no.

“We can always find a way to work together on something we both care about,” says the founder of Our Big Kitchen (OBK), a bustling, multifaceted social enterprise.

At first glance, OBK may seem to be just your average communal kitchen, but a closer look will reveal it as a place where former offenders have a second chance, a place where corporates can give back, a place where individuals and charities can receive meals, and, most importantly, a place that “empowers” and “educates” people through food.

Our Big Kitchen goes back to 2007 when Slavin and his wife Leah, leaders in the community sector, were trying to cook meals for a woman going through a hard time. The couple put a team together: one group to prepare the meals, one group to cook the meals and the other group to package them.

“It was that day that my wife and I had the idea. We both were a little stressed and had never experienced this before, but we thought, ‘This is what we should do – we should give other people this opportunity’.

“Maybe it was the thought of those naysayers who said it could never happen. When people say something is impossible, it pushes you even more.”

Common denominator

“My wife and I have been involved in the NFP sector for many years. We were heavily involved in communal work but realised that food was the common denominator that helps and empowers people.

“I had zero formal building or kitchen training, but I had a great deal of compassion and passion,” he says.

“We noticed small problems turning into big ones, and this was the impetus for the kitchen to be built.”

At heart, the kitchen is a simple concept. It is a big commercial kitchen that takes raw food, prepares it, packs it and sends it out to people in need.

“When people come along and say, ‘I am very passionate about a particular organisation’ or ‘I am very concerned about this person’, this becomes part of something we would respond to and has become part of our bigger picture. It is not just a kitchen. It has grown and continues to grow organically,” says Slavin.

Not dependent

OBK prides itself on being financially sustainable. “We are not dependent on a particular donor or government funding. That is a tremendous blessing. This means you can come in and tell me what is important to you, and we are able to tackle that challenge together.”

One of the main ways OBK generates funds is through corporate team-building workshops and schools in their industrial kitchen. Many of the people employed to run the kitchen are those who would usually find it hard to obtain jobs, such as former offenders.

Companies such as GE and Oracle attend team-building workshops at OBK, paying $50 to $60 a head, and the food they make is sent to their charity partners.

“The corporates are an interesting part in what we do. It gives us the ability to make all those meals. They will have a meal as well and hear about the things we do, and give expression to what is important to them,” says Slavin. “Corporate social responsibility is more and more the way to go as companies are finding their workforce becomes more empathetic and in tune with these sort of things.

“We are also able to channel the food to a place the company feels is important. We encourage companies to look after their own. Many have standing relationships with particular charities, and we are there to be a platform to strengthen their relationship.”

Special relationship

OBK has its own special relationship with charities such as Bear Cottage, a children’s hospice in New South Wales, and Lou’s Place, a daytime women’s refuge.

“There are a number of charities who do incredible work, but because of their nature they need to be quite private,” says Slavin.

“If you think about children’s hospices and shelters, particularly for the homeless and women who have been abused, when a company says it wants to send around 30 people to help them, it can be that charity’s biggest nightmare. “That charity can now say, ‘Our sister organisation is OBK – go down there and help make 400 meals’.”

A founder of Lou’s Place, Susie Manfred says the refuge and OBK share similar values. “Like any good partnership, we can share both the love and the load. Sometimes we have contacts and offers of help that are more relevant to OBK circumstances, and vice versa.

“Also, it is far more effective when organisations like ours work together rather than independently to help our community.”

 Motivation

As a rabbi, Slavin has a religious motivation for his work. “But whatever drives people to come to the kitchen is really their business,” he says. They are not asked why they are there. “Whatever the reason is that brings them here is fine, as long as we are together and cooking together.”

OBK also offers people the chance to trial a small-food business before going out on their own. “Very few people have the resources to do the research needed for a new business, and often people lose a job and think, ‘I cook well so maybe I can form a food business’,” says Slavin.

“Not being properly thought out is the reason many restaurants close, and meantime all the money is lost and there is a terrible social consequence. People can come in here and pay a nominal fee for this trial service, and it has grown into a wonderful program as many of them work together.”

An example is Danny’s Delights. Slavin says Danny has special needs which preclude him from a commercial environment. “Danny has been with us for a couple of years. He gets fruit that is sliced and dried then sold. Danny was the first participant who uses the kitchen facilities regularly.”

Slavin believes that “no” is never the answer. The answer is, “How can we do this together?”.

This article originally appeared in Third Sector’s December print magazine- click here.