Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick spent his off-day getting temporary tattoos. Here's why.

While Aug. 14 was already a scheduled off-day for the Milwaukee Brewers, boy, did they earn it.

Before heading off to Cincinnati for the next series against the Reds — where the Crew will look to match the franchise record of 13 straight wins — one outfielder spent part of his day getting — and giving — tattoos.

New additions to Sal Frelick's arms: Batman and Superman logos, blue stars, a friendly ghost and a yellow glittery gingerbread man, to name a few.

But you probably won't be seeing them the next time he plays — they were made using stencils and face paint.

The artists? A few of the over 100 local children attending the second annual Summer Sizzle — part of the Sargento Double Helping for Hunger campaign — held at Merrill Park on a sunny and hot summery day.

At the event — a collaboration among Sargento, official cheese of the Brewers; Hunger Task Force; the Brewers Community Foundation; and Centers for Independence — kids received free lunches and swag bags, highlighted by a Brewers hat, baseball glove and plastic cheese beads.

When one girl put on her new blue and gold cap, she said, "Now I've got a hat just like my grandma!" in the sweetest voice.

As music filled the air, kids lifted and lowered a parachute — running under it — played giant Connect 4, climbed on the playground, shot baskets on a mini-hoop and tried their hand at pitching, throwing their fastest at a huge inflatable that timed their speed.

"Feeding kids and taking care of our community's kids has always been a priority for all of our organizations," said Jonathan Hansen, chief strategy officer at Hunger Task Force. "To see the kids come out to not only receive those free, healthy meals, but just have an exciting day, meet Sal Frelick, have fun activities, giveaways — it's great to see and it's really special for us."

Frelick was right there in the middle of the action:

• Handing out the swag bags and Popsicles — "We got a lot! We got to get through these all," he told the bunch, who gathered around him. He was met with little "thank yous."
• Crouching down to tiny human-height to help them put on their new mitts.
• And, signing just about anything and everything that was asked of him, from a shoe — "He signed my shoe! He signed my shoe!" a little boy exclaimed, running over to his friends — a phone case, red cotton shorts and even a sock. A boy, who was riding his bike around, came prepared, having brought along Frelick baseball cards.
• That boy would later film videos on his phone with Sal, who said hi to the boy's siblings and proudly showed off his new tattoos to the boy's mom.

Community involvement means "everything" to Frelick.

"This is fun to me to be able to come out and do this," he said. "I want to do this. I have fun doing it. So, I always tell (the Brewers), the more stuff I can do, the better. Seeing the smiles on the kids faces just means the world to me."

He remembered back to his own childhood in Boston and what it meant to him seeing athletes out at events in his city.

"To be able to be in that spot now in Milwaukee, anytime I get the opportunity, it's great," Frelick said.

A couple of other special guests were at the event, too: Bernie Brewer and Sarge, Sargento's mascot. Sarge shot hoops, danced — and we're guessing his hands might be a little sore from all of the high-fives he was handing out.

More on what's behind the event

"Summer is the peak time for childhood hunger in our community," Hansen said. "This is a time of year when kids are away from their school meal programs. It's harder for a mom, dad or a caretaker to make up those meals throughout the day."

Through the Summer Meals Program, Hunger Task Force connects children with summertime meals at more than 180 sites across Milwaukee County. Hansen estimated that nearly 500,000 meals would be served to children county-wide this summer.

The program is a community collaboration in which meal sites, recreational facilities, public parks, local nonprofits, federal programs, meal providers, like CFI, and private donors work to ensure that three healthy meals per day are served to kids all summer long.

The main attraction of Thursday's lunch were the cheeseburgers — quite fitting, since the Brewers just locked in their 12th straight win, triggering the famous George Webb free hamburgers giveaway that's coming up soon.

The burgers the kids were fed featured locally sourced, 100% beef patties; Sargento cheese; and a whole-grain bun, according to Jess Williamson, vice president of marketing and communications for CFI, noting the organization's commitment to nutrition education.

The lunches were complete with apples, potatoes and white or chocolate milk. And, if kids got hungry while playing hard, they had snacks of mango and jicama with Tajin and cereal.

"Eating healthy doesn't have to be boring, it doesn't have to be scary, it doesn't have to be gross," Williamson said.

Through Sargento's Double Helping for Hunger, the company donates $200 to Hunger Task Force for every double hit the Brewers hit during the 2025 season. Since the campaign's beginnings in 2018, Sargento has donated over $346,000 to feed families in need, according to a news release from the ball club.

"It's also our way of showing that we care and how we support our community," said Portia Young, Sargento's director of Corporate Public Relations. "We're a family-owned company, and we're also a food company. So, we know that food is fundamental. It's one of the building blocks of any sustainable life. And, we're just so happy to be here out in the community."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers' Sal Frelick, Hunger Task Force, Sargento do free lunch for kids