An Oakland restaurateur has donated 10,000 KN95 masks to public high school students in the city.
The Oakland Unified School District announced in a press release on Wednesday that Eugene Lee, owner of two restaurants next to the Fruitvale BART station, provided enough masks to ensure every high school student in the district gets one by the end of the week.
Lee – owner of Korner Kitchen and Bar and Noodle Belly, the former of which is set to open on Saturday – also has a roofing supply business in San Francisco, where he had an abundance of masks.
"There was just no reason why they needed to sit on our shelves," Lee told KCBS Radio. "We talked amongst ourselves and as soon as there was a big need we just donated to whoever needs them."
When the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, Lee said he donated 35,000 masks to front-line workers. Now, schools are in need because of the omicron variant.
Lee said he felt the Oakland Unified School District was doing the best they can, but he wanted to help out during these troubled times. He knew hundreds of thousands of more masks were scheduled to arrive in the next few weeks, and he "just happened to have 10,000 I can donate."
"I did my part," Lee said, noting he donated the masks on Tuesday.
As a restaurateur, Lee understands how difficult this time has been for businesses and schools.
"That's why I also feel why it must be that much more difficult for our administrators, our teachers, our students to be in school," Lee said. "I can't imagine how difficult it must be for them, so I think we all need to lend a hand to them."
Lee spoke with John Sasaki, the district's communications director and a former local TV reporter, about his dedication to keeping students safe and getting them high-quality masks as soon as possible. He also was in contact with the mayor's office, which helped facilitate the original conversation about the donation earlier this week.
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