Judge, Yankees giving back with charitable efforts

This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch’s Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Aaron Judge was in his second season as a full-time big leaguer when he stayed up late one night with his mother, Patty, outlining their plans to give back to the community with a soon-to-be-formed charity that would bear the Yankees star’s name.

In some ways, the founding of Judge’s ALL RISE Foundation in 2018 boasts a similar origin story to Derek Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation, the blueprints of which were sketched out over a pizza dinner in a hotel room during the shortstop’s rookie season.

That night, Jeter and his father, Charles, took their inspiration from a charity belonging to Dave Winfield -- and so it goes. Perhaps not coincidentally, Judge said that his father, Wayne, happened to be a big Winfield fan.

“To whom much is given, much is required,” Judge said on Thursday, when his foundation hosted its third annual All-Star Gala at Cipriani Wall Street in New York. “Getting a chance to be in this position and be on this platform, I’ve seen so many guys before me -- Jeter, [CC] Sabathia, all those guys had foundations and they always gave back.

“It didn’t matter how many All-Star Games, MVPs, Cy Youngs, whatever they had. They always tried to give back. I think it was those guys laying the foundation, and my parents laying the foundation.”

Nearly 500 guests attended Judge’s most recent event, including manager Aaron Boone, Hall of Fame manager Joe Torre, teammates Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, DJ LeMahieu, Carlos Rodón and Anthony Volpe, plus former Yankees Harrison Bader, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Corey Kluber, Mike Tauchman and Tyler Wade.

Judge said that his foundation aims to inspire children and youth to become responsible citizens and encourage them to reach unlimited possibilities.

“Both my parents were educators, so I got a chance to be around them, how they treated their students,” Judge said. “It didn’t matter if they were the A student, the best one in the class they didn’t have to worry about, or the D student just scraping by and trying his best to pass the class. They treated everyone with respect, everyone equally. It was pretty cool to see.”

Grants issued by the foundation provide opportunities to selected non-profit organizations in California’s San Joaquin County and Fresno County, and the Bronx, as Judge aims to give back to the area where he grew up, where he attended college and where he currently patrols the outfield, respectively.

With the Thanksgiving holiday ahead, the Yankees' organization also held events. The club teamed with Legends Hospitality and SCAN-Harbor (Supportive Children’s Advocacy Network) to host a feast for several hundred local residents on Friday at the Rev. T. Wendell Foster Park and Recreation Center, adjacent to Yankee Stadium.

Founded in 1977, SCAN-Harbor is a non-profit youth and family service organization that provides a variety of integrated supports to the highest-risk children and families of Harlem, East Harlem and the South Bronx.

On Monday, the Yankees and Krasdale Foods will team up to hold their annual Thanksgiving Food Voucher Giveaway at Yankee Stadium’s Gate 2.

Approximately 4,000 $25 food vouchers are to be distributed, assisting local families in preparing their Thanksgiving meals. Vouchers may be redeemed at participating Bronx-based C-Town & Bravo supermarkets.