Several San Diego Padres players took time out of a game day to help students from the Monarch School shop for back-to-school clothes and supplies at the Walmart in Kearny Mesa.
The Monarch School, which exclusively serves unhoused children or children impacted by homelessness, partners with the Padres annually to make sure students have what they need heading into the school year.
Pitcher Michael King was paired with a student named Yusuf for the shopping trip. King said the experience was meaningful despite the team being in the middle of a playoff chase.
"It's awesome to meet people like Yusuf. We always like to see the smiles on kids' faces. It's great to give back to the community. I've very proud to be a Padre and have them do events like this. So it's really fun and we're just enjoying it," King told ABC 10News.
Yusuf, who said it was his first time at the event, was excited to learn that King previously pitched for the New York Yankees before being traded to the Padres. Yusuf borrowed a television microphone and asked King about the upcoming series against his former team.
"Are you excited to go against the Yankees?"
"Absolutely, " King responded, helping Yusuf hold the mic closer to his face. "I am very excited. I'm always excited to pitch against anybody, but I still have a couple of friends on that team, and it's always more fun to compete against your friends than random people, so I'm very excited for the weekend."
Other Padres players who participated in the shopping event included Adrian Morejon and his wife Melanie, Jase Bowen, and Bradley Rodriguez. Several Padres alumni and broadcasters also volunteered their time.
Padres CEO Erik Greupner said the event is one of the team's most important community efforts each year.
"You can always tell by the number of Padres players that participate, despite this being a game day, big series against the Yankees, they're showing up here in force to support these kids, to let them know that they matter, that we love them. They've got a lot of things that they're working against in their lives, coming up as unhoused," Greupner said.
As for the Yankees series, King kept his focus on the competition ahead.
"They're obviously a very good team coming in, and we want to be playing against good teams come September and October, so it's a good matchup for us," King said.
King is scheduled to pitch in Sunday's series finale.
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