The death of a beloved Tribeca diner owner has triggered a fundraising effort that will provide nearly 20,000 face shields and N95 masks for front-line coronavirus workers.
Andreas “Andy’’ Koutsoudakis, the 59-year-old owner of Tribeca Kitchen, died of the virus March 27, prompting his son, a Staten Island lawyer by the same name, to start a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for masks in honor of the workers who cared for his dad during his final days.
“Really, it’s all the love my father has given his whole life, and it was converted into masks, shields,’’ Andreas Koutsoudakis Jr., 35, told The Post.
The son said he has raised $53,000 to date, or enough to buy 10,000 regular face masks and 8,000 of the higher-grade ones.
He said the face shields were delivered to healthcare facilities Friday and that the shipments of masks should arrive this week.
Koutsoudakis Jr. recalled how painful it was not to be able to be with his father when he died, given quarantine rules.
He said a nurse at Richmond University Medical Center, where his dad was being treated, “read the letters we wrote him.’’
The son said the dedicated worker assured him by phone, “Don’t worry, tonight he’s my daddy.’’
Andy Sr.’s death was marked by tweets from City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Comptroller Scott Stringer.
