Ripken charity helping to feed the underserved

Orioles legend and Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. joined Twitter on Tuesday to announce that the charity he runs with his family in honor of his late father, the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, was diverting some of its resources away from its typical mission to fight the hunger crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

In coordination with Cal and Bill Ripken, the foundation announced a $100,000 donation to Feeding America to launch its Strike Out Hunger campaign, with Ollie’s Bargain Outlet and the Kevin Harvick Foundation contributing an additional $150,000 to start the program.

“For nearly two decades, our foundation has helped kids across the country through after-school programs and the building of fields to provide safe places to play and learn,” Cal Ripken Jr. said in a statement.

“However, we have decided to temporarily shift our focus due to the current crisis to address a more urgent need. We are proud to partner with Feeding America and food banks here in Maryland and across the country to make a difference to the underserved kids and families we impact and we are hoping that others will join us.”

The announcement comes on the day ESPNis planning to re-air Ripken’s defining professional moment, from Sept. 6, 1995, against the Angels, when he set the all-time record for consecutive games played with 2,131.

Scheduled to air at 7 p.m., the game is part of a weekly series of Tuesday broadcasts on ESPN of defining games in baseball history.

For more information, go to ripkenfoundation.org/donate/strikeouthunger.