u/roethlerd

A few weeks ago a man named Gerald texted me and said go see his neighbor Mary Kay.

So I went. I filmed. I posted a short video about her story.

Mary Kay has been cooking everything from scratch, alone, on two burners, in a small kitchen in Grandview Missouri. Wednesday through Saturday. For years. She never told anyone she was struggling. She just kept showing up.

The video hit half a million views in under a week.

The community raised over $6,000 through a GoFundMe. She sold out both days that first weekend. Her neighbor Gerald’s BBQ restaurant next door sold out. The restaurant down the street ran out of food and closed early.

One video fed an entire block.

I sat down with her recently for the first time since it all happened. I asked her how close she was to giving up.

She said a month before that video she was 80% sure she was going to have to close. She had talked to her family and said she thought it was it. That she didn’t think she could feasibly do it anymore.

Then I asked if she thought she was going to make it now.

She said definitely. Definitely.

The video of that conversation can be shared if you want to see the amazing impact of what happens when a community comes together.

Simply Grand Kitchen and Creamery. Grandview MO. She’s still there. Still cooking everything from scratch. Go see her.

Mrs. Jackie Thomas has been running a daycare in Kansas City for 16 years called Mrs Jackie’s Daycare. Two locations. Opening a third. She also runs a thrift store on the side so families in her community can afford clothes and diapers for their kids. She’s been trying to open a food pantry too. She won’t turn a single kid away. Not one.

There was a little boy, her grandson, who had been abused. Nobody knew because everyone assumed he was safe at daycare. He was being beaten the whole time, and nobody checked on him because they thought he was taken care of. He hit his head on a toilet during one of the incidents. They found him unresponsive. They revived him. He ended up in the ICU.

While he was in the ICU he ripped out his own IV and came running around the corner hollering straight into Mrs. Jackie’s arms. The doctors said it was the first time they had ever seen him respond to anyone. He would only eat for her. After everything he had been through, she was the only person in the world he trusted.

She talks about how the environment a child grows up in shapes everything about who they become. That’s why she refuses to close her doors.

There was also a mother, five kids, no place to go, living in a hotel. Mrs. Jackie took them in for free without hesitation. That’s just who she is.

The state cut her funding. The balance of what she’s owed between families and the system is about $8,000. Without a safety net it is near impossible to operate. There’s been many moments where she didn’t know how she was going to pay her workers or buy food for the kids. But she kept showing up every single day.

I run a small window cleaning business in Kansas City called Window Wolf. I heard her story and showed up to clean her windows for free. Filmed it. Posted it yesterday.

In under 24 hours, Kansas City raised over $14,000 for Mrs. Jackie.

She’s been pouring into this city for 16 years. It felt good to watch the city pour back into her. Can’t wait to give her the money in a few weeks and see the reaction to the love this community and shown. Thank you if you watched and donated.

A few weeks ago Gerald, the owner of a BBQ spot in Grandview MO, texted me and said “go see my neighbor Mary Kay.”

I went. I filmed. I posted.

Mary Kay never told me she was struggling. She didn’t ask me to come in. She just kept cooking, making everything from scratch, alone, two burners, Tuesday through Saturday.

The video hit half a million views. The community raised over $5,500 through a GoFundMe. She sold out both days that weekend.

But then someone messaged me and said, Simply Grand quit serving at 11am because they ran out of food. Dunn Deal next door had a 20 minute wait and line out the door. Housewife down the street closed early because they ran out too.

One video fed an entire block.

I just posted the update. In two weeks I’m going back to deliver the money in person and check in on how her life has changed.

Her restaurant is Simply Grand Kitchen and Creamery in Grandview MO if anyone wants to support her directly.