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

MILWAUKEE -- Christian Yelich appreciated the reminder that folks in “real life” tend to be kinder than those on Twitter. Brandon Woodruff got to relive his days as a young substitute teacher and learned that even an All-Star pales in popularity to a racing sausage. Devin Williams paid for a whole day of kids’ haircuts so they went into summer vacation looking good. Willy Adames and Freddy Peralta bought baby back ribs and beer for dozens of Memorial Day barbecues.

Even a rookie, Brice Turang, was involved, helping folks get a head start on their holiday weekend home improvement projects. He found out that Wisconsinites go through a lot of birdseed.

“You wouldn’t believe how much birdseed,” Turang said.

For the seventh straight year, Brewers players and employees were out in the community all week for the club’s #KindnessInMKE initiative, which ranged from Yelich working a drive-thru to Woodruff leading an all-school assembly to Adames and Peralta bagging groceries.

“You hear from all kinds of people that they’re following the team or they were at the game yesterday or they’re coming next week,” said Yelich, who paid for lunch for the customers he served at a fast-food restaurant in Pewaukee, Wis. “People get that surprised look when they see you. They seem excited. 

“If you look at social media, you’re the worst person ever, everything is all your fault. And then you go out in the community, and it’s the total opposite direction. On social media, people say, ‘Get in the cage! You suck!’ But when you go out in the community, people are glad to see you. We don’t get the opportunity to do that much. We’re here at the field most days and they’re really long days. A lot of times, you’re [limited] to what you see on social media. 

“Getting out gives you a good perspective. You see how the majority of people feel about the team and the players.”

Woodruff witnessed how people -- especially grade-schoolers -- feel about the racing sausages. He visited Benjamin Franklin School in Milwaukee for an assembly to honor the Brewers’ Grand Slam Teacher of the Month for May, fifth-grade teacher Ann Eubanks.

“When those sausages duck through the door and come into a room, these kids go nuts,” Woodruff said. “It was a cool deal. The teacher, she had no idea. I got to present her with the award and talk a little bit, which was special for me. Those teachers, that job is hard. They have their hands full. 

“The school system, I relate to it so much because [my wife] Jonie’s mom was an educator for 25 years, and my first three years in the Minor Leagues, when I would come home, I would substitute teach for her. She did P.E. I did that and did lessons on the side. That’s how I made my offseason income.”

Adames and Peralta bagged groceries for unsuspecting fans at Festival Foods in West Allis. Williams and Bernie Brewer surprised kids at Gee’s Clippers in Milwaukee. And Turang loaded up everything from birdseed to power tools at Fleet Farm in Germantown.

Those visits were on top of dozens of other acts of kindness from club employees, who donated to causes they care about all around the city. 

“It’s awesome to help anybody out, but especially around Milwaukee,” said Turang, who made his big league debut on Opening Day. “It’s close to everybody’s heart who plays here because it’s the people who support you.” 

Players will continue random acts of kindness beyond this week. Woodruff keeps a stack of baseball cards in the trunk of his car for instances in which a fan recognizes him, which happened recently when a 12-year-old in his baseball uniform approached Woodruff at a coffee shop. 

“Those are the coolest parts of this job,” Woodruff said.