Woman distributes thousands of hand-made face masks on tree outside her home

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    GREENSBORO, N.C. (WXII) — A Greensboro woman is focusing her energy on helping people and making new friends to overcome her anxiety during the coronavirus pandemic.

Beverly Ramsey said she is the great-great-great-great-granddaughter of North Carolina Gov. Motley Morehead, and like her ancestor, she is serving the people of the Tar Heel State.

When she was laid off of her job as a preschool teacher, Ramsey said she began to use her sewing skills to create face masks for her family and friends.

The masks were so popular, Ramsey decided to make more and share them with her neighbors in the Greensboro Sunset Hills community.

“And I’m like, “How am I going to get these to people who need them without being face-to-face with them, you know?’ Because social distancing was part of it,” Ramsey said.

The answer was right outside her door.

Ramsey began taping the masks to a tree and the first batch disappeared in no time.

At first, she stayed inside so that people did not get uncomfortable. But as the weeks went by, Ramsey changed her approach.

“I met people and talked to people that I’ve lived among for lots of years, and I’ve had no idea how amazing they are,” Ramsey said.

The mask-maker of Sunset Hills said she now makes about 250 masks a week with the help of her 80-year-old mother.

They join their talent to make masks for nonprofits, and to help immigrants and pregnant women stay safe.

In total, Ramsey believes she has created somewhere between 1,000 to 2,000 masks.

And while she has received some negative feedback on social media, she said masks are a health issue, not a political one.

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