Baseball Pitcher Hunter Greene Gives Away Thousands Of Cleats To Kids In Pacoima

PACOIMA (CBSLA) - A professional pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds gave out thousands of baseball cleats to kids Saturday in the San Fernando Valley.

Hunter Greene, a local pitching standout from Notre Dame High School who went on to be a second-round draft pick by the Cincinnati Reds in 2017, said he wanted to do something special for the community during the holidays.

"I'm doing this because I have the platform to be able to give back," said Greene. "It's important to spread the love, be able to provide kids with the best resources, the best equipment... Especially with the pandemic and COVID last year, it was really hard for families to put their money together and get the best of the best for their children. If I can help with that and make the kids feel special, that's the ultimate goal. And I'm happy and proud to do that."

About 3,000 pairs of cleats were given away to students, each valued at about $100 a pair.

"Just the fact that Hunter Greene is giving out free shoes giving back to the community, it just makes me want to do the same thing eventually," said Jackson Lyons, a high school baseball player.

A local nonprofit provided the cleats and the Los Angeles Police Department was there to help give them out.