For years, Beng Lee greeted his customers with delicious treats to start their day at Village Express Donut Shop in Tahoe Park.
But this damp Thursday morning was different. Instead of grabbing a quick coffee and Cruller, community members grabbed cleaning supplies and paint to bring new life to their beloved local eatery – All in honor of Lee, who is recovering in the hospital.
The Village Express owner was hit in the head during a robbery on September 26, according to the Sacramento Police Department.
As time went by, Lee developed complications after the altercation and was rushed to the hospital two weeks ago where he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his brain, according to Tahoe Park Neighborhood Association President Isaac Gonzalez.
Isaac Gonzalez and Sherry Martinez work together to unscrew and clean the hanging lamps in the Village Express Donuts shop in Tahoe Park Thursday, Dec. 11, 2024.Keyshawn Davis/CapRadio
When Gonzalez heard Lee was in the hospital, he organized a GoFundMe to help with medical expenses, rent, bills, and day-to-day operational costs to keep Village Express Donut running. As of Thursday, the fundraiser has reached $18,000.
“That money will help offset any lost revenues,” Gonzalez said. “We're also using some of that money to replace some equipment that has been broken for a while, that Mr. Lee has been unable to afford.”
Gonzalez said in addition to the GoFundMe, volunteers will also paint the entire store, but before that, they must clean it to prepare for the paint.
“So today, we're doing the prep job, tomorrow to paint it so that when Mr. Lee comes back from the rehab facility— he has not been to the store since he was hurt— when he's able to come back—nice, fresh new store, new equipment, an outpour of support from the community, just to let him know how much we love him, want to be there for him in his time of need.”
Gonzalez said he was motivated to do a GoFundMe because he successfully organized a similar campaign for the donut shop after it was broken into and vandalized on Thanksgiving Day three years prior. The campaign raised $6,000, so he thought it would be a good idea to try it again.
Alex Huth and Isaac Gonzalez discuss cleaning the Village Express Donuts shop in Tahoe Park Thursday, Dec. 11, 2024.Keyshawn Davis/CapRadio
Former Tahoe Park resident Alex Huth saw a post from Gonzalez about the cleanup on Facebook and decided to help clean.
“I think that when someone experiences this kind of thing, a health problem or natural disaster or something unanticipated, I think that the neighborhood is kind of what's there for them more than anything,” Huth said.
Gonzalez said the support is a testament to how much everybody loves Lee because he is “a nice and sweet man.”
According to Gonzalez, Lee has given away donuts for free in the past and also gave kids donut holes. He said the community is doing right by him because he has done right by the community for so long.
“If you don't have money, he makes sure no one goes hungry,” Gonzalez said. “The community really cares about him, but it's because he has cared about the community for so many years, and has done that 20 years here.”
John Finch and his coworker Steve Hatch stopped by the donut shop on their way to their carpenter jobs to get a dozen donuts.
John Finch (left) and Steve Hatch (right) ordered donuts at Village Express Donuts in Tahoe Park before heading to work Thursday, Dec. 11, 2024. Finch said comes to get donuts almost everyday and has been for the past 10 years.Keyshawn Davis
Finch said he has visited the donut shop almost every morning for the last 10 years. He said Lee has been a great community member for years and that someone attacking him is ridiculous because he’s one of the “kindest individuals” he’s ever met.
“I've come in here and not had my wallet, and he would say, John, come back tomorrow,” Finch said. “He's just a great guy. He's great for our community, and he's a great guy to come see every morning. He's tough as nails, though. He's going to get through this. That's one thing about Mr. Lee. He will be back.”
Hatch said he’s been going to the donut shop since childhood, and Lee is always in good spirits every morning.
“He knows everybody's name, everybody in the neighborhood, all the kids come here on the weekends,” Hatch said. “It's just a huge part of the community, and a lot of that is just him and his personality, and getting everyone their donuts and coffee that they need in the morning, and basically brightening everyone's day that comes in here for sure.”
One of the Tahoe Park community members who came to help clean up the shop is Gail Patrice.
Patrice has lived in Tahoe Park for a year and a half, but she previously lived there for 12 years. She said she saw a post on Facebook about the cleanup day, so she brought hammers, screwdrivers, and pliers to help fix up the shop.
“I saw that Isaac wanted to scrub and do a nice fresh coat of paint,” Patrice said. “So I looked around in the things that I have, and brought a couple of nude paint brushes I hadn't used, and some spackling paste if we needed to mend a hole in a wall.”
Gonzalez said a local contractor named William Caldwell is going to be donating all the labor for a paint job. Community members wanting to donate or who are looking for ways to help can message him on GoFundMe.
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