This one involves a spicy wrap and a worthy cause. We’ve got the backstory behind the tasty fundraiser that the catcher known as the Big Dumper is behind.
Yeah, he’s hot
Cal Raleigh’s having a career year, hitting 60 home runs in the regular season, a feat that pushes the switch-hitting catcher into the history books. He’s one of just seven players to reach that number. What’s even more astonishing? Cal had hit No. 59 earlier in the 60th home run hitting game, crushing the ball, sending it to the upper deck. That’s something very few players have accomplished in the decades since the ballpark’s been around.
And if that wasn’t incredible enough, Cal later tracked down the fan who caught No. 60 and promptly handed it off to a fellow fan, a kid. That random act of kindness was acknowledged by Raleigh with some VIP treatment and by national media. Mariners super fan Glenn Mutti-Driscoll was honored as the Person of Week by ABC News.
Oh, and during that game, the Seattle Mariners clinched the division title in the American League West, something the team had last done in 2001. Standing ovations all around.
The tasty wrap that gives back
Since winning the home run derby during this season’s All Star game – the first catcher to ever snag that honor — the Big Dumper’s star has been shining ultra-brightly. He’s picked up endorsement deals and helped launch a Big Dumper lager with Scuttlebutt Brewing, a family-owned Northwest craft beer producer.
But the sweetest deal is one that’s helping raise money for an organization called the Backpack Brigade. That group is dedicated to ending hunger by sending home food for kids who’d otherwise go hungry.
In the official statement on Evergreens website, Raleigh says: “No child should ever have to worry about where their next meal will come from, and that’s why I’m proud to team up with Evergreens and Backpack Brigade to support kids and families in need. Come out and enjoy the Call Me Cal-iente wrap because every bite helps a great cause.”
Loretta Douglas, daughter of restaurateur and award-winning chef Tom Douglas, is on the board of Backpack Brigade. She was introduced to the organization by the late Thierry Rautureau at an event at Hot Stove Society, TD & Co.’s cooking school and special events space. “I attended as an audience member and knew I had to get involved. I joined the board a month later!”
“It’s a really perfect marriage of causes for me – our business has always supported hunger-related causes and with three kids of my own, I’m particularly passionate about children’s issues,” said Douglas, who’s managing director and general counsel for the restaurant group. “It’s heartbreaking to know that so many kids are facing hunger on the weekends when it is such a solvable problem. I’m so proud of the work Backpack is doing and am looking forward to having a Call Me Cal-iente wrap at Evergreens!”
For every wrap sold through the month of October, $1 is donated to Backpack Brigade.
What’s inside that whole wheat tortilla? Open wide for a combination of Jasmine rice, smoked pork, spinach, fire-roasted corn, jalapeños, celery, spicy pickled peppers, crispy jalapeños, Tillamook white cheddar, smoked spices, all finished in a shower of Pete’s Hot Sauce. Sounds like just the kind of snack fans should jump on before Saturday’s home opener of the playoffs against the Detroit Tigers.