Mildred Daniel

On Thanksgiving Day, 2022, at age 88, Mildred Daniel led a meal giveaway that served over 600 people in her New Orleans westbank community.  She and her and her family have been putting on this Thanksgiving dinner for over 20 years. 

Turkeys, hams, stuffing, green beans, pies … Ms. Daniel and her daughters start cooking in their home kitchens days before Thanksgiving, but gathering donations and commitments takes months. 

Community has always been important to Ms. Daniel. She’s a regular and a volunteer at her area senior center. Most days, you can find her there enjoying the exercise classes. It’s a good thing she keeps herself in shape, because the annual Thanksgiving Dinner is a lot of work.

 Over the years she has seen the increasing impacts of food scarcity, and every year she serves more and more people. But the dinner about more than just the food – which, by the way, is really good – or the donated clothes they give away. It’s about the holiday season and community. It’s about bringing people together. And it’s that spirit of giving that makes Mildred Daniel a Peoples Health Champion.