Date of birth: May 25, 1923
Date of death: September 1, 1988 (age 65)
Place of birth: East St Louis, Illinois
Place of death: Indianapolis, Indiana
Parents: Moses & Bertha Sanders
Early Life: Mozel grew up in Canton, Mississippi, where his early schooling occurred. One of his earliest work experiences involved the Civilian Conservation Corp (part of FDR’s ‘New Deal).
While in Cleveland, Ohio, he accepted the call to the ministry (1943). His early ministry included roles as a vocalist and recording artist – touring the country and preaching at revivals. At age 36 (1959), he became the pastor of Mount Vernon Missionary Baptist Church in Indianapolis.
Notes from the Indiana Historical Society Collection:
For several years, Sanders hosted “The Way Out,” an early morning gospel program, aired on WTLC-FM, a local radio station. . A civic leader, Sanders was at the helm of the Indianapolis Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC), a national job training program, for many years. He was also instrumental in the development of other OIC programs around the state. During the early 1960s, Sanders formed a group known as the Fair Share Organization. The purpose of the organization was to boycott stores and industries throughout the city to encourage the hiring of more African Americans, especially in management training programs. Mozel Sanders was best known for the founding of an annual citywide Thanksgiving dinner. The dinner started in 1974 when Sanders and a few volunteers served a small group of people the traditional Thanksgiving dinner at the Mount Vernon Missionary Baptist Church. Each year the number of participants grew, and the program became too large for the church. Early on dinners were carried out and delivered. Cooking facilities at other locations (e.g. Turkeys were cooked at Winona, Methodist, and Indiana University hospitals) were used to supplement the church’s kitchen. By the late 1970s, the dinner activities moved to the Foster Motor Lodge (formerly located at 2154 N. Illinois St.). Outgrowing the lodge, the Thanksgiving dinner moved to Arsenal Technical High School. It has been estimated that in 1987–the last Thanksgiving before Sanders’s death, over 16,000 people were fed with the help of 200 volunteers. In 1996, the Mozel Sanders Thanksgiving Day Dinner volunteers (estimated at more than 500) fed 30,000 people at Arsenal Technical High School.
Note: WTHR News reported on Nov 25, 2021, that the Mozel Sanders Foundation served its one millionth meal!
For more information:
“Mozel Sanders Collection’”, Black Then, Indiana Historical Society, retrieved 11/11/2022
https://slidelegend.com/mozel-sanders-collection-1978-1996-indiana-historical-_59ce753d1723dd12897b3917.html
(also sourced to “Mozel Sanders Dinner Served at Tech High,” Indianapolis Star, 29 November 1996)
“Mozel Sanders Foundation delivers millionth meal,” WTHR News, Nov. 25,2021
https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/mozel-sanders-foundation-delivers-millionth-meal-indianapolis-thanksgiving/531-eb3b4f94-34cc-4103-8e8a-b6cb5c228473