It's familiar territory for this woman..... preparing food for customers.... we've seen her doing it many times before... but lately.....she's had little reason to smile.
"Thank god, and thank you for recommending me here.. it was a big weight off my shoulders."
Maria Lopez has had a tough year.
Her restaurant here in south central El Paso..... took hit after hit when the economy took a turn for the worse.
When she could no longer pay the rent...she had to shut down.
"I was very sad, very discouraged...it was the last thing i wanted to happen. i struggled for a year, and it was very hard for me."
But help was on the way... we featured Maria's story several times on newschannel 9. It was one of our employees..... who recommended her for a cook's opening at Gil's restaurant in far East El Paso.
When owner John Gomez met her, he knew she'd be a perfect fit.
"Unfortunately it's not a good situation that she's in, and i felt bad for the woman. We also needed help here at gil's of course, so we brought her in, and she's doing good."
Lopez was ecstatic when she heard the news...
"I gave thanks to god because they believed in my experience and ability, and gave me the opportunity to work again."
The mother of one doesn't know what her future holds, but getting a job is a start.
"I'm starting over... moving forward, moving forward... but I'm doing well here. For the moment, I'm doing well."
Doing well.... and keeping her positive attitude about the future.
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