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Lake Worth Beach woman pivots career, begins mask-making business using Mayan cloth

Products can be purchased via Instagram
Maria Carolina, former farm worker who now creates facemasks
Posted at 4:59 PM, Feb 09, 2021
and last updated 2021-02-09 18:00:07-05

LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — A Lake Worth Beach woman considers herself an entrepreneur after pregnancy complications caused her to switch her job working on a farm.

Traditional Mayan Fabric -- that's what Maria Carolina now sells to put food on her family's table.

Mariana Blanco with the Guatemalan-Maya Center interprets for Carolina.

"She was working in the fields through the pandemic as a farmer picking vegetables, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers. Whatever we had on our table. You name it, she picked it," Blanco said.

Maria Carolina, former vegetable picker turned face-covering designer
Maria Carolina, a former vegetable picker, changed her career during the pandemic to design face coverings.

Carolina was pregnant when the pandemic started and developed complications with the pregnancy. She had to stop working and find another way to earn money.

"Her and her sisters started this little business and here at the Center. We've just helped amplify her voice," Blanco said.

Carolina now designs and sells doubled-layered facial coverings, and her sisters who live in Guatemala make the clothes for her. In addition to making face coverings, she also makes other items including scarves and purses.

"The response we were getting to her masks was actually really great. We created her own Instagram page that we run to take orders. We are getting a pretty heavy amount of orders daily for her masks. So actually, now she is back-ordering," Blanco said.

Now she's able to earn some money for her family.

"She has been a loud voice for her community she is a community leader," Blanco said.