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Faith of mother and daughter help their business
By SAMANTHA PHILLIPS
YOUNGSTOWN
Michelle White of Boardman drove back and forth between Ohio and New York for two months in 2016, juggling running a business and caring for her 23-year-old daughter who nearly died.
Michelle and her daughter, MyKale White, have run their catering business, Food 4 Your Soul, since 2010. All the money raised from catering funds their mission – to feed the less fortunate.
More than 500 people come to their designated spot on Glenwood Avenue on the South Side the last Saturday of every month to get a hot meal straight from Michelle’s kitchen. Michelle cooks the community dinners. MyKale handles the marketing and advertising.
MyKale had dreams of being an actress, and scored a gig with the ABC show “What Would You Do?” She moved to Queens, N.Y., with her friend. Not too long after moving there, she smoked K2, a type of synthetic marijuana, that was given to her from a friend.
She thought it was regular marijuana until she began hallucinating, slurring her speech and having paranoid thoughts – it wasn’t a normal high.
The drug was linked to 15 deaths in the first four months of 2015, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and MyKale was almost one of them.
Police took her to a nearby hospital for evaluation.
MyKale spent a month in the psych ward and another month at the hospital recovering. Michelle spent those two months with her in New York.
“It was heartbreaking. I couldn’t get there fast enough,” Michelle said.
MyKale came back to Youngstown, where she spent about five more months recovering and receiving outpatient care.
Michelle said her faith is what got her through the ordeal.
“It definitely changed my perspective. We take things for granted,” Michelle said.
“The doctors told me my child’s brain was fried.”
For MyKale, it was not just faith, but the unconditional love of her mother that helped her recover. She said their bond has never been stronger, and she feels grateful for every day she is given.
MyKale’s new goal is to be a successful entrepreneur. She runs Food 4 Your Soul with her mother; Flavva Media, an event planning company; and the Underground Art Club in the Southern Park Mall.
“I don’t want to work for ABC anymore,” she said.
“I want to partner with them.”
As for Michelle, she hopes to have her own catering hall someday, where she can plan and cater for events. She wants to increase the number of people who benefit from her free meals.
“It was instilled in me to always be a giver,” Michelle said.
“My parents taught me to always help others.”