Wieters And Wife To Match BARCS Donations Through Saturday

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- He's been an Orioles favorite for the past eight seasons, but Matt Wieters is now a free agent and its likely he'll be playing for another team next season.

But as Ron Matz reports, Matt and his wife Maria remain connected to Baltimore and they're helping the place they've come to love this holiday season.

Wieters wears jersey number 32, and in honor of that, they will match donations to BARCS animal shelter dollar for dollar up to $32,000 through the end of the year.

It's the second year in a row they've helped BARCS out in this way.

"Matt and Maria Wieters have been absolutely amazing to our organization," says Jennifer Brause, BARCS executive director. "They're two of the kindest people that I've ever met. On top of that they have supported our organization, they love animals and they're just so wonderful for the community as a whole."

The Wieters are animal lovers, and longtime supporters of BARCS, joining other Orioles to pose for the BARCS pet calendar every year.

"The likelihood of them coming back is slim to none and it saddens all of us here," Brause says. "But I know they will stay connected because they are very connected to Baltimore. They're very connected with BARCS and the staff here. So we're just extremely grateful for that relationship with them."

BARCS is Maryland's largest animal shelter, and have cared for about 11,000 animals this year alone. Right now, there are around 300 pets in the shelter.

You can make a donation to BARCS on its website, HERE.

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