Houston Woman and Sons Create Face Masks to Help Coronavirus Community

Jessica Brown posted on Facebook a week ago that she started making masks out of a lack of surgical ones available due to the coronavirus outbreak. We contacted her afterward to learn more about her newfound platform. Read our interview here.

Hello, Jessica, tell us a little about yourself.

I am a married, mother of three boys raising a Christian family in a secular world. The mother part is going to be the crucial element to this story as I have been making homemade Halloween costumes and school play costumes and black history costumes for 17 years now. I am an Interior Architect by trade, which also helps in the artistic/structural ability to see the patterns and translate them into production quickly.

We saw your post on Facebook, where you shared photos of the face masks you create. How does providing these to the public make you feel? How were you able to get your children involved?

In such an uncertain time for so many who do not possess the faith for freedom of worry, making these masks is the best feeling I can provide to try to pass along the comfort I get from God. I am fortunate and blessed to be in a position far greater than so many. This does not mean that there are not so many more in positions far greater than me, it means my mom and dad taught me well, “No matter where you are in life, there is always, ALWAYS someone worse off than you. Find and help that someone.” My husband and I have had our boys by our sides during every act of love as we served others, raising them. This has made it natural for them… a lifestyle, not an event. When there is a need, and we have the ability, it is only natural for us to step up being intentional in our living.

Houston Woman and Sons Create Face Masks to Help Coronavirus Community — Three nurses at a testing site in Houston where masks were donated. Photo courtesy of Jessica Brown

You urge those who purchase your masks to buy one extra to give to a homeless person. How has this act of kindness helped so many vulnerable citizens?

I actually am trying to match 1:1. For every mask purchased, another is made. Extra purchases HELP TREMENDOUSLY! Our goal is to provide for the homeless, nursing homes and our medical community. Currently the frontlines fighting this pandemic are the most vulnerable. Because of others ordering, we were able to meet the need of a local Houston COVID19 testing site who had no masks for their workers. They were reusing disposable masks. This is heartbreaking and unacceptable. Their office was put in touch with us and we are meeting their need with these donations.

Where can people purchase your masks?

The masks are 100% cotton, machine washable and follow the CDC guidelines. Simply go to my Facebook or Instagram pages and DM me. On Facebook I am Jessica Brown (company is JBIA, LLC to distinguish me from the other 5 million Jessica Browns out there). On instagram I am @jessicabrowninteriors . I usually have a very quick response time. With the need increasing, I am trying to discipline myself in not stopping the sewing machine at every *bing* ?

We are living in difficult times, so we would like to end this interview on a happy note. Share with us something funny that happened recently.

I am a boy mom. My boys are proud of their masks and what they do to help PREVENT spread. Catching a cough, a sneeze, an overly active spit talker…. think about it, none of that will go in the hand OR on the sleeve. Each boy has two of his own masks, and it has been a competition to see who can “use” their mask the most. When one sneezes, the others say, “Oh man! Was that awesome? You didn’t even have to cover your mouth!” Well, as you can imagine, you also don’t have to cover your nose. So when one comes into the room with a mask and the others are unmasked, guess what bomb gets dropped? We’ll leave the rest to your imagination. God Bless! ?

We hope you enjoyed this conversation and learned something as we all do our part to slow and eventually stop the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Be safe, and well everyone.