TULSA, Okla. — A decade of serving up sandwiches and second chances, and they're only getting started.
Take 2 Cafe, a social enterprise operated by Resonance Center for Women, is a program to help women transition from life in prison to life outside. They closed their original location in July, and are gearing up to open a brand new space at 4th and Main St. in the Palace Building in the coming weeks.
“Just a few steps away from our original place, but now we have a beautiful new place, lots of natural light, twice the seating that we did before and a larger kitchen so our future has the opportunity to add more jobs for women in the future," said Katie Gill Miller, Executive Director of Resonance.
Through Take 2 Cafe, women get an immediate job and housing.
The team held a soft opening to get acclimated in the new kitchen, inviting just a few friends inside. 2 News got to be there as eager guests ordered their favorite menu items — of course, that dripped beef sandwich remains a crowd pleaser.
Gill Miller said it's still the same amount of staff right now — eight women at a time in the program.
One of the smiling faces behind the counter was Denise Barnes.
“This program saves lives," said the eight month veteran of the program. "The old space is nice, but this is amazing. More space, there’s going to be room for more women. It’s just a blessing to have it.”
After three years in prison, Barnes said she was involved in a program behind bars that led her to Take 2 Cafe. She said one of her biggest fears while incarcerated was what her life was going to look like when she got out.
"I didn’t have anywhere to go," said Barnes. "So knowing that not only did I have a job, I had housing, that took a big weight off of me.”
The self-proclaimed 'sandwich slayer' now trains the new girls who walk through their doors, showing them the ropes and reminding them that there is hope.
“I just like being with people and helping them along the way," she said. "What better person to help someone than someone who’s been through what they’re going through.”
The point of the program, Gill Miller explained, is to give these women stability as they transition back to life outside of the prison walls, teach them work skills but also help them see they can do more.
In just eight months, that bigger picture piece is clear as day for Barnes.
“I’d say the sky is the limit," she said with a smile on her face. "I just know that there’s more for me. That’s what I’ve learned here is that there’s more, you know, that I’m not just stuck because I’ve gotten out of prison, that there is an avenue and people willing to help me get to where that is."
The Take 2 Team did not give a grand open date as they work out kinks of the new space, but said it will be soon.
“Just being able to have a space for people to come to get back up on their feet, to reintegrate with their families and just see that there is something more for them out there," said Barnes. "They really are like our family."
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