About the book:
What I Can Do
A Memoir of Mary K. Hoodhood, Founder of Kids’ Food Basket
Mary K. Hoodhood woke up in the hospital at age 27 to find out she would be paralyzed for life. She knew the dream life she thought she was headed toward was not going to be the same, but she vowed that she would build a life full of laughter, love, and purpose. Using her ability to focus on the positive, she started repeating her mantra, “I will focus on what I can do.” Journey with her as she faces life’s challenges with resilience, hope, and humor. Building on her parents’ lessons about service and leadership, she started a nonprofit organization to feed 125 kids. Today, Kids’ Food Basket feeds 1.6 million Sack Suppers annually to kids who otherwise might not have nourishment once they leave school. Read her inspiring story of love and hope.
Proceeds from the book will go to support Kids’ Food Basket.
Meet Mary K
Mary K. Hoodhood founded Kids' Food Basket in response to a story she heard about an elementary school student digging through the trash at school for food to take home. At its inception, Kids' Food Basket provided a sack supper to 125 children at three Grand Rapids' Public Schools. KFB currently feeds 1.6 million meals a year. She is also a strong and respected voice for those with disabilities. A defining moment of Mary K.'s life came in May 1980 when she was injured in a car accident leaving her a quadriplegic. She has been a wheelchair user ever since. Despite daily physical challenges that require patience, good humor, and pluck, Mary K.'s physical limitations have never prevented her from working and contributing to her community. Prior to Kids’ Food Basket, she volunteered and worked for God’s Kitchen, coordinating three programs, and worked for Disability Advocates. Her ability to inspire those around her has made Mary K. a leader who champions the needs of people who are often marginalized in society. For her work, Mary K. Hoodhood has been honored with many awards, among them L’Oréal Women of Worth, MLive’s 10 Women Who Shaped the State (Michigan), the George Romney Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Presidential Citizens Medal. You can get more information about Kids’ Food basket at kidsfoodbasket.org.
About The Co-Author
Lisa McNeilley, PhD., is an educator, editor, and writer. She wrote Need to Know: College Success Workbook and was awarded grants from the Wege Foundation and Michigan College Access Network for workshops for first generation college students. She is co-author of D.B. Cooper and Me. Lisa was editor of Imagine This! An ArtPrize® Anthology and has served on the editorial boards of several literary publications. Her poetry appears in Ariel Chart. Along with being the editor of a multiple award-winning young adult novel, she has ghostwritten and edited a number of memoirs. Through her experience, she has seen the transformative power of writing your story. Lisa has a passion for taking pieces of information and turning them into a story that is engaging and meaningful. Along with other volunteer work, Lisa has supported Kids' Food Basket in various capacities throughout the years. Like Mary K., she believes life's purpose is to connect to others with love and laughter, and for Lisa that means family and friends, but especially her children, Auden and Michol, and her husband, friend, and true love, David Rein—and, of course, her Australian shepherd, Sydney. Lisa spends her free time walking Sydney, trying to get her kids to do fun things with her, and having adventures with her husband.
“This is a truly inspiring story. Our goal as educators is to teach students about resilience and hope, about how to deal with life’s challenges, and how to build a life of purpose. Mary K.’s story is beautifully written and exemplifies the best of these traits. What I Can Do will inspire readers to follow their hearts and live lives full of meaning and love.”
— Lori S. Dunn, Seattle Public Schools, NASPE Teacher of the Year 2006
“This is Mary K.’s story, and the way in which she shaped a future for herself out of disability is amazing. You will read about relationships that changed her life. You will see the role faith played in sustaining her through hope. ”
— George Heartwell, Mayor Grand Rapids, 2004-2015
“What I Can Do is the perfectly titled story of one woman’s journey following a…catastrophic fork in her road. Readers will be amazed by Mary K.’s resiliency and her can-do attitude, culminating in her super star role in feeding hungry children in West Michigan. Her unhesitating willingess to tackle this social ill has had a profound effect on the community, including recipients, donors, and the thousands of volunteers who have joined in her mission. This memoir will inspire you to live a fuller life and join Mary K. in giving more of yourself to others.”
— Deb Moore, author and personal historian
I’ve known Mary K. my whole life, but I learned things about her I never knew from What I Can Do. Her story is emotional and inspiring in so many ways. Reading her memoir was like riding on the roller coaster of life with her, and I was changed by the experience. It’s impossible not to feel uplifted and motivated to take on life when you read this beautifully written story of how Mary K. has done so.
— Stephanie Tomaszek, educator