At Home in Detroit, Tigers LHP Matthew Boyd Has Sights on Ugandan Charity

The Detroit pitcher and his wife run Kingdom Home, an organization dedicated to ending child sex trafficking through prevention in Uganda. With the country shut down from coronavirus, food and medicines have been in short supply.

With the sun starting to come out and the weather warming up, it’s been a little different for Detroit Tigers pitcher Matthew Boyd to not be playing baseball.

But while Boyd has enjoyed the extra time he gets to spend with his wife, Ashley, and their two children, across the globe the couple has additional concerns as a result of the coronavirus.

In Uganda, the Boyds run a nonprofit organization called Kingdom Home whose mission it is to end child sex trafficking through prevention.

At only a few years old, the organization has four homes under Kingdom Home’s care in Uganda, three for girls and one for boys, that impact 156 children.

“There are some cases of COVID-19 in Uganda and they’ve shut the country down, so it’s been a little bit crazy,” Boyd said. “Food supplies and medical supplies aren’t as readily accessible there.”

Fortunately, the house parents got the resources they needed before the lockdown and the children are safe.

“It’s a little bit of a scary time but God’s got them and we’re just trusting in that,” Boyd added.

Boyd had remained in the Tigers’ training facility in Lakeland, FL, following the announcement that MLB had canceled the remainder of its Spring Training games and postponed the start of the regular season until two weeks ago, when he headed back home to Detroit.

The Toronto Blue Jays signed left handed pitcher Matthew Boyd in 2013. He played three seasons in their minor league organization before being promoted to the majors. He was traded to the Detroit Tigers in 2015.

As the shutdown of sport extends into its fourth week, Boyd continues to train as much as he can with the resources he has to keep the arm ready for whenever the season might begin again.