TALLHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — After the XFL season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, B.J. Daniels returned to his hometown to continue training, and give his community some of the kindness it's given to him.
Tallahassee's B.J. Daniels was a standout athlete at Lincoln High School before playing at South Florida and then winning a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks.
He's currently playing in the XFL, and while he waits for next season, he's back home.
"There's a gap right now, and a lot of people are in need," Daniels said.
When Daniels came back to Tallahassee, whether or not to give back wasn't an if, it was how.
"Most importantly, just for me to be here," Daniels said. "I'm not from this neighborhood, but I'm from this community. I'm from Tallahassee, so the most important thing I can do is just give back to any and everyone would love to see just a smiling face at this point."
For the past three weeks, Daniels and his church, Bethel Missionary Baptist, have given back to Tallahassee's most vulnerable neighborhoods.
It started with feeding kids out of school.
"We're actually going out to the public housing centers and giving them a hot meal," said Curtis Taylor, president and CEO of Tallahassee Urban League. "A lot of those kids don't have transportation, so if you don't bring it to them, they won't get a hot meal."
When they saw the need was greater, they delivered. Over 3,000 meals have been served, and for Daniels, seeing the smiles on people's faces makes it all worth it.
"I remember every moment with an FSU athlete I had as a kid, every FAMU athlete, to TCC," Daniels said. "So, these kids will remember this for the rest of their life. Just to see a smiling face, some,one outside of their neighborhood that's here to be a good person and put a smile on their face."
A meal and a smile, all for his hometown.
Bethel Missionary Baptist final day serving food is tomorrow, but they said if the need arises, they won't hesitate to do it again...
