A 2023 Silver Slugger Award winner, Kyle Tucker started his foundation, the Kyle Tucker Foundation, in early 2022 to bring awareness to nonprofit hospice care centers and support them in their quest to provide more affordable and compassionate end-of-life care. Kyle’s dedication to this cause is personal, as his grandfather passed away under hospice care in 2021. Through this experience, Kyle found a passion for supporting and raising awareness for hospice care and the support of families during end-of-life care for their loved ones.
The Kyle Tucker Foundation acknowledges the hard work of hospice workers, donates to hospice facilities and more in Kyle’s adopted home of Houston and his hometown of Tampa, Fla. Twice a month, a staff member from Houston Hospice is selected as a Kyle Tucker Foundation Hospice Hero. Those individuals receive social media recognition, participation in the annual Kyle Tucker Foundation Suite Day at the ballpark and gifts, such as certificates, experiences and merchandise from local Houston businesses. Annually, Kyle hosts a Hospice Day at the ballpark for 100 hospice workers and their families. He also hosts Houston Hospice staff and Texas Children’s Hospital staff for Suite Days at the Park, to show his appreciation for their work in the healthcare world, specifically in hospice and palliative care.
The Kyle Tucker Foundation hosts an annual Topgolf event in Tampa. This year’s event in February 2024 featured a silent auction, 50/50 raffle, Topgolf games and more, raising more than $65,000 for the cause. Local Tampa Hospice Heroes were celebrated, and $10,000 was donated at the event to Chapters Health and LifePath Hospice in Tampa.
During this past offseason, Kyle hosted a meet and greet with hospice employees at Melech Hospice House in Tampa. During the visit, Kyle gifted the hospice workers gift bags as a token of his appreciation for their hard work. This visit highlighted the ongoing partnership with the hospice center in Tampa that the foundation collaborates with during the offseason.
Kyle has unique partnerships with local businesses in Houston that support his foundation. In 2024, his foundation partnered with local Houston brewery Holler Brewing, creating a special King Tuck Kolsch. With each can purchased, a portion of the proceeds benefits the foundation. In 2023 and 2024, the Kyle Tucker Foundation partnered with X Label Apparel, a local Houston boutique, on a “King Tuck” T-shirt, with a portion of each sale going to the foundation. Each year during X Label Apparel’s anniversary sale in August, 10 percent of everything purchased that day goes to the Kyle Tucker Foundation.
Kyle and his foundation joined forces with his teammates Jose Altuve and Lance McCullers Jr. for the annual Team Up event in Houston. In 2023, the Team Up event raised more than $500,000 for the Houston community, supporting hospice care, animal rescue causes, disaster relief efforts, military charities and childhood cancer charities.
Kyle’s dedication and support for his community extends beyond his work with his foundation. He has done a lot in the Houston community supporting children battling life-threatening illnesses. Just this month, he worked with the nonprofit Deck My Room, decorating hospital rooms and meeting pediatric patients at Texas Children’s Hospital. He hosts children battling cancer and their families from the nonprofit Sunshine Kids at games and spends time with them on the field during batting practice.
In July 2024, Kyle teamed up with MDMotivator to surprise a very deserving Houston family that had a tough year battling cancer. The family, who loves the Astros and considers Kyle their favorite player, was surprised with a trip to the MLB All-Star Game and a check for $50,000 to boost their spirits during a challenging time.