Several local restaurants teamed up to deliver free Thanksgiving dinners to University of Michigan students who remained in Ann Arbor for the break. 

The program was organized and paid for by Jordan and Nick Else of Wessinger Properties, a rental company popular with University students. The two brought together Bandito’s Mexican Restaurant, Miss Kim, Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales + Kitchen and Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea to deliver 210 meals last Wednesday. 

Jordan Else said the program originated as a way to thank students who stayed in Ann Arbor for not spreading the virus to their home communities and to support local businesses. Else said she read on Facebook pages for University parents that many students were opting not to travel home for the break. She also emphasized her desire to help Ann Arbor’s restaurants, many of which have struggled in the pandemic. 

“I felt really motivated to do something for the students,” Jordan Else said. “… In addition to supporting the students, we’re obviously very concerned about local restaurants.”

Thanksgiving break came on the heels of a national spike in coronavirus cases and the announcement of a three-week epidemic order by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. In its new recommendations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said “postponing travel and staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others this year.” 

Jordan Else said she sought out interested Ann Arbor businesses on Facebook, and restaurants quickly reached out to collaborate. 

Ji Hye Kim, chef and managing partner at Miss Kim Korean Restaurant, noticed the post. Kim said Korean food easily accommodates dietary preferences and allergies, which made it more convenient for students with dietary restrictions to order through the program. Kim’s restaurant also helped subsidize the meals with a discount. 

Though Kim is out of school now, she said she could relate with current students. 

“I was a (University of Michigan) student who didn’t go home during Thanksgiving, and I know what that would be like so there was the personal connection there, but I just thought it was an incredibly generous and also smart thing to do because it’s taking care of the students but it’s also taking care of the small businesses in the area,” Kim said. “Jordan, just out of her own goodness of heart and generosity, she’s taking care of two major communities in the Ann Arbor area.”

Jordan and Nick Else then found students to participate in the program by posting in student and parent Facebook groups.

“I posted it at like 11 o’clock at night, and I had to shut it off by noon the next day because there were just too many responses already,” Jordan Else said. 

With the help of donations from friends and community members, Wessinger Properties paid for the meals and helped the restaurants deliver the food to students’ residences on Wednesday. 

Ken Singh, owner of Bandito’s Mexican Restaurant, said he has been looking for alternative strategies to bring in business since the onset of the pandemic. 

“I’m always looking, I’m not waiting for customers,” Singh said. “I try to go online, try to figure out different ways (to make money). Since the pandemic started, I’ve delivered burritos to Meijer, Busch’s (Fresh Food Market), HomeGoods, TJ Maxx.”

Like Kim, Singh noticed Jordan Else’s Facebook post and wanted to participate in the program. In total, Bandito’s cooked and delivered 29 burritos to students.

“It was a great program,” Singh said. “Anyone else interested in doing something like this, I’m willing to bend over backwards and help.”

LSA senior Savanna Johnson was one of the students who stayed in Ann Arbor this Thanksgiving to protect her family. She also felt compelled to give to her peers who stayed in Ann Arbor, so she posted a message on Facebook offering to cook Thanksgiving meals for students in town.

Johnson cooked 19 meals, which included turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing and more. She dropped off these meals in a to-go box, contact-free and free of charge. 

“It was really just something on a whim that I put on there,” Johnson said. “(I was) hoping to make somebody’s day at the very least and share what I had.” 

Both Johnson and the Elses recognized the challenging situation students faced this year and expressed their admiration for those who opted not to travel home. Their ideas arose out of a common desire to give back to the Ann Arbor community.

“We try to help out where there is need in our community,” Jordan Else said. “And this seemed like … a way to just help two populations that really need some help right now.”

Daily News Contributors Eli Friedman and Andrea Johnson can be reached at elisf@umich.edu and anjohns@umich.edu. 

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