It’s been more than two months since Pablo López was able to pitch in a game for the Twins, but that absolutely has not kept him from having an impact on the Twin Cities community.
On Monday, an off-day for the Twins, López and 15 local kids packed supply kits for teachers in the area, then the star pitcher participated in the distribution of those kits. It was a way to help out, and it was meaningful to López personally.
“Education has always been a big part of my life,” said López, whose parents were both doctors in Venezuela. “I’ve always kept that with me. Because I can look back to my youth, my early ages in life, and remember how much of an impact teachers can have.
"I remember my teachers when I was 5, 6, 7 years old. It’s such a deep, meaningful profession that they do. They can have the deepest impact in your life. So that’s one of my passions. And I’ve never taken for granted the platform that we’re blessed with here by being in MLB. So it’s always been a no-brainer to be involved with anything in that realm.”
The back-to-school kits each included: $135 in gift cards; 48 crayons and two glue sticks; a pair of scissors, a stapler and an electric pencil sharpener; 100 sheets of construction paper; a dozen pads of Post-It notes; 12 permanent and dry erase markers, felt tip pens, and blue, black and red pens; 24 pencils; three classroom puzzles and a set of dice; four boxes of snack items; boxes of facial tissue and hand sanitizing wipes; and a Twins storage bin on wheels.
Additionally, each teacher received a “Pablo Day” red López jersey and four free tickets to a future Twins home game.
On top of that, López made sure to send backpacks with the teachers to provide to any kids who didn’t have one once classes started. The teachers were all K-4, Special Education or English Language Learners (ELL) teachers at schools in Minneapolis or St. Paul.
The event also had a Venezuelan feel, which was also important to the right-hander. The kids who participated came from Baila Venezuela, a local dance-oriented nonprofit. And the food? Catered from a local Venezuelan restaurant.
“It’s still different from Venezuela, you don’t see a lot of us up here,” he said. “But you’re starting to see a few more, so it was pretty cool that we found them. I get a little nostalgic, a little homesick when I’m up here, being so far from Venezuela, when I haven’t been there in almost two years.
"So it was really cool to connect with that part of my life. And then as Venezuelans living in the Twin Cities, we’re so thankful for how we’ve been welcomed. Such a beautiful, welcoming place. So it was pretty cool to reunite with my community and give back to the community that we now call home.”