Andrew Anchor is 20 years old and works in the restaurant his family has owned since 1979. Ever since his father passed away from cancer last year, Andrew, who has Down syndrome, has stepped forward to fill his father’s shoes and make sure that the restaurant continues to be as successful as ever. “I like working in the front like my daddy used to. He used to know everyone’s names and now so do I,” Andrew told Today. Andrew really does a great job at the family restaurant and he’s appreciated by both customers and employees. Therefore, it came as a great shock to everyone when an anonymous person reported Andrew to the local health department. “The person said that there was an unauthorized person in the kitchen that shouldn’t be around the food prep area,” Andrew’s mother said. The “unauthorized person” was referring to Andrew. This incident completely shocked everyone and because of it, Andrew’s older brother, Alex, decided to write a post about his little brother on Facebook. And his post received a huge reaction. As of this writing, it’s been liked more than 70,000 times and shared about 20,000 times. Read the full post below!
“Ever since my dad passed away, my little bro has been working day in and day out at Ankar’s Hoagies to ensure that my father’s legacy keeps going strong. From greeting customers to cleaning the dining room to working the grill, Andrew works tirelessly to make sure our business is a success—and he does it all with a smile on his face.
When I learned that someone had the audacity to file a report with the local health inspector over an adult with Down syndrome being in the kitchen of a restaurant that he is not just employed at, but that he owns, I was floored.”
“It makes my blood boil that there are people in this world who don’t have an ounce of kindness in their heart to appreciate what an amazing person he is. The fact that there are people out there in this world that view people with disabilities as sub-human disgusts me.
Sometimes I sit back and marvel at Andrew’s ability to love everyone… even people who aren’t deserving of his kindness. He knows no hate. If the people out there who constantly ridicule people with disabilities had even half of Andrew’s capability to love EVERYONE, this world would be a better place.
I challenge every single person who reads this to take a minute to put all differences aside. Whether it’s ability, race, sexual orientation, religion, whatever—try to put your differences aside and love one another. Trust me, the world would be a much better place if everyone had Andrew’s ability.”
“He’s not the disabled one, we are.
Love you, kid.”
FOOTNOTE: When health officials arrived at the restaurant, they found absolutely nothing out of place and therefore left without taking action. Andrew continues to work as usual in his family’s restaurant. Ever since the event, he’s received tremendous support from the community where he lives and a Facebook event that was created to support him has already attracted several thousand supporters.
Please feel free to help spread Andrew’s story so that more people can read about this great guy who really does an admirable job at his family’s restaurant.
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