Anu Sushi, with a mission to serve both customers and orphans, arrived at Johnny’s Cafe in early November and has already had hundreds of purchases. Chimes is highlighting the story behind Johnny’s latest addition.

Anu is a real person — an orphan from Myanmar, who inspired the creation of Anu Sushi. At the age of five, Anu lost her parents, and as a teenager she was forced to flee her country to escape ethnic persecution. In order to support her household, she was forced to work at a young age. The challenges she faced in her early life caused her to grow up and mature at a rapid pace. After years of struggle, she was finally permitted access into the United States, where she received a quality education and began working at her cousin’s sushi shop. There she had the idea of helping other immigrants from Myanmar attain a job selling sushi, while also helping other orphans by giving a meal to an orphan for each tray of sushi sold. Thus began Anu Sushi, which achieved both these things and gave Anu a job she was passionate about.

Now, as a distributor of its sushi, Calvin is part of this story. Anu Sushi, which is based locally in Grand Rapids, was introduced to campus at Johnny’s on November 5. Within its first week, it sold out every day, in part because of the work of one of its advisors, who is a Calvin alum. Calvin is looking to further its relationship with Anu Sushi, with preparations being made for it to be “served in a dining hall once a month for next semester,” according to Steve McBride, director of Dining Services.

Anu’s slogan is “Sushi and Purpose Rolled into One.” Each purchase at Johnny’s supports the supplying of an orphan’s meal.