LAKEVILLE— Lakeville’s furry friends are about to reap the benefits of the Christmas spirit.

The Lakeville Animal Shelter was presented with a check of $6,200 Saturday, Dec. 14, raised through the Snowman Jubilee Act of Kindness project sponsored by the Friends of the Lakeville Animal Shelter.

Funds were raised thanks to individuals, families and 20 local corporate sponsors, who bought and decorated snowman made from plastic cut-outs that are on display on the Old Town Hall lawn in Lakeville. Community members had the chance to view the 90 snowmen while enjoying hot chocolate and treats at a viewing party Saturday afternoon.

The amount of money raised for the shelter left event organizer Sue Spieler in awe. “I’m blown away by the generosity and enthusiasm of everybody. It’s more than anyone expected,” said Spieler, who hopes to make this an annual fundraiser.

The idea for the fundraiser came after seeing the success of a similar event in Middleboro last year, said Spieler.

People of all ages participated in the project. Overall winners and winners of the kid’s category were announced, and each was presented with a prize basket during the viewing party.

Each snowman had a message of kindness written on the back.

The purpose of the event was to “bring the community together,” said Spieler. With “the way the world is,” she noted, “it’s important to spread kindness and understanding.”

Making a snowman gave Morgan Saraceno, whose creation made the top three pick in the kid’s category, a chance to maximize her creativity and bond with friends and family.

Saraceno’s snowman likely won because it gave viewers a good laugh, featuring a full head of hair made from a wig and a Fu Manchu, family members said. It won despite the Fu Manchu losing its form after being exposed to the elements.

“It was fun. We had a bunch of random things in the house, [and] we just threw everything on there,” said Saraceno.

For Drew Miller, who also decorated a snowman, the best part was getting to sign his name on his artwork, he said. His mom Kim also put her artistic skills to work creating her own snowman featuring a sneaky Grinch dressed up as Santa Claus.

“I wanted to do something creative and not your typical snowman,” Miller noted. For her, contributing to the fundraiser was about creating fun memories with her child “and help[ing] the animal shelter.”