Texas Rangers pitcher Kyle Gibson this season is continuing his longstanding tradition of using his platform to bless those who are less fortunate. For every strikeout he records, Gibson and his wife are donating to a Dallas-area food pantry called Food for the Soul.
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For every K this year, Elizabeth & I will be donating to this DFW food pantry, Food for the Soul. If you have the means, join my campaign below & let’s help feed those around us in need!! You would be surprised how a few $’s can make a huge difference!!https://t.co/tO9yqeL4WX https://t.co/JA4LO9eTdZ
— Kyle Gibson (@kgib44) June 8, 2021
The pantry’s goal is to “feed the hungry, care for the most vulnerable, and spread God’s love to everyone.” It began in 2009 as a “response” to Matthew 25:35. The verse says, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.”
In addition to his strikeout campaign, Gibson and seven of his teammates have pledged money to organizations of their choosing for every Rangers win as part of the #ALLWIN Texas campaign.
The donations are a specific and intentional way for the nine-year MLB veteran to honor God with the resources he’s been given.
“We’re just trying to be good stewards of where He’s put us,” Gibson said on the Sports Spectrum Podcast in 2018. “I think there’s more verses in the Bible about money than there are about a lot of things, and how you’re supposed to use it and how you’re supposed to steward it. And that’s just what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to steward the funds God’s blessed us with.”
Through 11 starts in 2021, Gibson leads the American League with a 2.06 ERA and has the third-highest wins above replacement of any AL player. He picked up his fourth victory of the season in his return from the injured list on Friday. His strikeout total currently sits at 53.
The former Minnesota Twin has also put his faith on display through his work with Big League Impact, an organization started by St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright. They teamed up last year with country music star Garth Brooks to provide 4 million meals to children who rely on school meals.
In the second season of a three-year deal with the Rangers, Gibson has learned to rely on God for strength and comfort.
“It’s amazing how comforting God is and how loving He is and how merciful He is when you make a mistake and you mess up,” he said in a 2018 video for The Increase:
Gibson has been outspoken about his faith throughout his career and strives to point teammates to Christ through his actions. He described his approach to evangelism in a 2019 video for The Increase.
“To me, it’s how I talk, how I live, the conversations I have, how I parent and how I love my wife — all of those things can evangelize [to] people in a silent way or in a verbal way,” Gibson said. “We’ve gotten away from ‘here’s the pastor with the Bible in front of us and he’s the evangelist,’ to ‘we are the body of Christ and we are always on mission and always living out the Word in order to spread the love and evangelize.’”
The 33-year-old places his perfect 4-0 record on the line when he takes the mound against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday afternoon. First pitch from Globe Life Field is at 2:05 p.m. ET.
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