Players Delight Youngsters at South County Lighthouse Stop on ‘Padres Thank SD Tour’

Three children emerge from the door at the top of the stairs leading to dorms designated for mothers and their kids. They stand against the railing, overlooking the small plot of grass between their building and another housing unit.

Their eyes widen as they look at each other and scan the people standing below. They express excitement the way any child of the digital age does, pausing every few moments to take a picture of the scene.

As part of the “Padres Thank SD Tour,” players stopped by the San Diego Rescue Mission South County Lighthouse Friday in National City to take a look at the grounds and the SDRC Community Center sponsored by the team.

The 30-day homeless emergency shelter, the first of its kind in National City, opened its doors in June, providing 162 available beds for unhoused San Diegans.

When the players entered the facility through the Community Center, they couldn’t miss the massive portrait of Manny Machado, each craning their necks up to gaze at the wall.

For Machado, the larger-than-life mural came as a surprise.

“I didn’t expect to see that,” Machado said. “I didn’t know it was happening, but it’s cool to see.”

The center was a project bolstered by the Peter Siedler Foundation, named for the San Diego Padres‘ late owner, who supported causes to help those without shelter.

The team agreed to put $350,000 toward it in hopes that the center would be able to serve not only those who stay at the Lighthouse, but also offer the rest of the community a space to meet. According to Donnie Dee, the rescue mission’s president and CEO, the mural of Machado was in recognition of the personal donation he made toward this effort.

There’s an ease about Machado as he is swarmed by outstretched hands clutching phones to snap a picture and spare scraps of paper for him to sign. He wears a genuine smile.

“It’s all about impact,” said Machado. “One person leads the way, and then two and that becomes a hundred. Having this facility, there’s hope. All we can do as athletes, with our platform, is to give back to the community.”

For batting champ Luis Arráez, his team’s investment in the community is something that makes him proud.

“To see this community, this project that is very beautiful, especially Manny, one of my teammates on the wall, you say wow, it’s an example, an example for me, for all of my teammates, for the young players, that it’s nice to help those who are in need of help,” Arráez said in Spanish.

Seeing the smiles on the kid’s faces brought him back to his own boyhood, Arráez said. The excitement on their faces reminded him of the way he looked up to Major League players as a child.

After a few minutes of observing from above, Jaylen, a 12-year-old resident of the Lighthouse, led the charge down the stairs. He found his place amid the media that followed the players and snapped a couple of pictures.

“I’ve been going through this my whole life,” the sixth-grader said after he explained that they had been at the shelter a little under a month. But that wasn’t what was on his mind at that moment, as he quickly faced forward once again, looking at the players to make sure they were still there.

He bounced up and down a couple of times, grinning ear to ear, and said, “This is my first time ever seeing them.”