Switch Restaurant Provides 1,000 Free Meals to Homebound Seniors
Switch Restaurant is a staple neighborhood spot located on Central Ave. and Virginia in Downtown Phoenix, and one of our Devour Phoenix coalition members. Like many restaurants during the COVID era, they have shut their doors to the public, but Chef Jason Peterson chose to keep his kitchen running to provide free meals for homebound seniors.
He started this project on March 18th and has reached an incredible goal: 1,000 free meals. He didn’t do it alone. He says the amazing outpouring of support from donations to supplies to volunteer drivers has been awesome. He started thinking his team could keep up with requests with a little kitchen help and he could deliver himself. They outgrew demand by day two.
He updates his customers and supporters daily on Switch’s social media channels and ends every with video by saying, “Heads up, hearts out. Remember we are in this together and together we will get through it. Switch out.”
“In speaking with some of our recipients I’m shocked at what our senior citizens are expected to live on these days and I just hope we are bringing a small bit of joy to their lives. Personally, I’ve spent 30 years in the restaurant business making people happy and I think maybe I might have found what I’m supposed to be doing.”
Why Seniors?
That’s a personal thing for me. I lost my mom about a year and a half ago and I see her in the faces of the people we deliver to. She always taught us to be there for people. To stand up and do what was right and to help when needed. She would expect nothing less from me. I hope, no I know, she's proud of me. Senior citizens are our wisdom, lived our history. They have raised generations, fought for our freedoms, seen the world change (for good and bad). They deserve our respect and our help especially now. We can help, so we should.
What’s next for Switch Restaurant?
Switch's future is tenuous like everybody, we are unsure what is to come. Bills are behind and rent is due, but I can promise you this: We won't go down with out a fight. We plan to reopen when the powers that be will it so. We don't want to let our Switch family or our community down. This has humbled us and given us a purpose to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. Once this all passed us, we plan to continue the meals for seniors program.
If you’d like to keep up with Switch restaurant’s efforts, follow them on Facebook. If folks want to help any way, donate or call the restaurant.