Two women in Koto Ward, Tokyo, have collected about 1,700 unnecessary masks to donate to 13 facilities, including nursing homes.
The initiative was planned by Naoko Matsushima, a self-employed woman who lives in the ward, and Makiko Ueno, a nurse.
As the two women already had enough masks, they did not need the fabric masks distributed by the government. They came up with the idea of donating unused masks to people who need them more.
In cooperation with restaurants and stationery stores in the ward, they set up collection boxes at about 50 shops. A total of 1,709 masks were collected from mid-April to the end of May.
They donated 70 masks on June 5 to Light Gakudo, a private after-school club in the ward attended by about 120 children from nearby elementary schools who are from first to fifth grade.
Michiko Oshikiri, the club's representative, expressed gratitude, saying: "Many children forget or lose their masks. I appreciate the help."
"We were surprised to get more masks than we expected. We are glad to distribute them to those who need them," Matsushima and Ueno said.
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