Head caps like this were essential during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Communities across the nation worked together to provide personal protection equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers during a time it was in short supply. This cap was donated to the Mary’s Center staff March 2020, by the Jonatan López family. As Mary's Center pediatrician Dr. Maria Marquez recalled, "we received many donations to help us to keep working and helping the
communities. One of my favorite stories that represent the values of the Mary’s Center team members was the one of Jony’s family members.
When they realized that the pandemic was here, he and his family were going to all the fabric stores in the area and started to buy tons of fabrics in different ones and they created surgical caps for the Mary’s Center team. They did as many as possible. Always thinking about the comfort and protection needed. Jony told me: “we made them with a string that each of us could adapt to our needs (no rubber bands, so no pressure on the head and minimized headaches). They were amazing caps, and we were all using them in the clinic. Also, the story of caring for others from his family was what represents Mary’s Center team. It is the sense of family or community at Mary’s Center that makes is so special."
Mary’s Center was founded in 1988 by nurse Maria Gomez, who had immigrated from Colombia to the United States as a teenager in the 1960s. Gomez founded the center to serve pregnant Latina immigrants. In many cases, the women had become pregnant as a result of sexual assault during their migration journeys. Over time, the center has expanded to serve children, families, and a diverse patient population by providing health care, education, and social services. Initially housed in a basement in Adams Morgan, the center, as of 2022, has multiple locations in Washington, DC, and Maryland and serves around 65,000 patients a year and has become a nationally recognized health center for underserved communities.