Esperanza International ("esperanza" translates to "hope" in English) was first inspired in 1985 by a group of Dominican Republican children that organization founder and former Seattle Mariners catcher Dave Valle met while playing baseball in the Dominican Republic. Instead of approaching the professional baseball player for autographs like most adolescents in the United States do, the children were asking Valle and his wife for food. After buying food from a local vendor for the children, Valle recognized that he was only giving a temporary solution to a complex problem. He wanted to help these people get back on their feet by providing long-lasting solutions to help families and develop their communities.