Yankees HOPE Week visits New Beginning Animal Rescue pet shelter

In 2012, Pedro Rosario founded New Beginning Animal Rescue, a not-for-profit dog shelter in the East Bronx. At any one time, NBAR houses up to 80 dogs and 60 cats. The shelter operates on an extremely tight budget, relying on volunteers and donations to survive. 

On Wednesday afternoon, Pedro got some extra help. As part of the Yankees' HOPE Week, Brett Gardner, Ichiro Suzuki and Shawn Kelley surprised him at the shelter, bringing pet food and helping to bathe the dogs.

The Bombers also invited Pedro and his family to Yankee Stadium to take in batting practice and meet some more of their teammates. Pedro tossed out the evening's first pitch, and the stadium hosted an adoption center for NBAR's animals during the Yanks' matchup with the Royals.

"This has been a great experience. I never expected this much from anyone," Pedro said. "I was in shock [when the players arrived]. I couldn't even talk for a second. "

-- Matt Latimer / MLB.com Real-Time Correspondent