Bean Good is a not-for-profit community café based in the centre of Oldham that was the idea of drug and alcohol treatment service Acorn (part of Calico Group). It gives customers the chance to pass a meal on to someone else for free.
When a customer donates £1.50 or more, they are given a token which can be given to someone else, who can exchange it for another drink or meal – completely free of charge.
The café’s chef is Acorn employee Paul Cross, a former drug addict, who makes fresh meals and desserts with a different set of ingredients every day. He is training up recovering addicts who use Acorn’s services and are volunteering at the café – to help build their confidence and a career.
[Source: Manchester Evening News, 15 April 2015]