Bakery owner sends bread to virus-hit Daegu

Kim Kyoung-mi, owner of Grit918 /Courtesy of Grit918

By Bahk Eun-ji

Kim Kyoung-mi who runs a bakery cafe in Seoul has been donating bread to medical professionals and government officials fighting COVID-19 in Daegu, the nation's worst virus-hit region.

Since March 1, Kim, owner of Grit918, has been sending 300 sweet red bean buns every day to complete strangers in Daegu.

“I saw Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin who was crying desperately during a press briefing on TV when the virus hit the city in mid-February at the height of the COVID-19 outbreak. I wanted to do something for the people of Daegu who devoted themselves to overcoming the crisis, but it was not easy to decide to send 300 buns every day because my bakery was also struggling in the economic downturn due to the virus outbreak,” Kim said.

She said it was not initially confident of a positive response from her staff to the idea but her staff gladly accepted.

Sales have been off since last month as the number of customers coming to her store has dropped drastically due to the virus outbreak. But she thought that's why this was the right time to donate the bread.

“Instead of cutting back our staff during this difficult period, I thought we should bake 300 buns every day. I told my staff 'Let's send a happy virus to Daegu to fight the coronavirus,'” Kim said.

She said the name of Kim's bakery Grit919 was inspired by the title of the book “Grit” written by renowned American academic and psychologist Angela Duckworth. According to Kim, grit stands for growth, resilience, intrinsic motivation and tenacity.

In addition to the Grit918, Kim runs a number of bakeries and restaurants across the country.

“I don't think I have done this on my own. Everyone around me is willing to join in the activities and helped me a lot. I just want these little efforts to play a role in making the world brighter,” Kim said.