Miranda Lambert shares the love for Valentine's Day by donating to 15 animal shelters

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Miranda Lambert sweetens Valentine's Day for 15 animal shelters.

Founded in 2009, Lambert's MuttNation Foundation is dedicated to finding safe and happy homes for rescued pets. A big part of that mission is helping the shelters that provide pet adoption opportunities.

On Giving Tuesday (December 1), 2020, MuttNation announced its expanded Share the Love program—a grant program open to anyone who adopted, fostered, or volunteered with a pet from a shelter in 2020. Animal lovers who applied to the program nominated their local shelter for one of 15 $1,000 MuttNation Foundation grants. Now, MuttNation is ready to announce the 15 winners just in time for Valentine's Day.

“Shelter animals and the people who care for them have the biggest hearts and it feels so right to share the love on Valentine’s Day,” Miranda Lambert said in a statement.

Over 14,000 participants took part in this year's Share the Love program – now in its third year – far surpassing the number of registrations from previous years: 2,000 in 2019 and 500 in 2018.

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“It is incredible that our program has received such an overwhelming response. The number of participants shows how much commitment and appreciation community members have for local animal shelters. And especially given the difficult circumstances this year, it means so much to us,” Lambert added.

Here are the 15 recipients of the MuttNation Share the Love $1,000 grants.

• Abandoned Animal Rescue of Magnolia, Texas, submitted by Joni McLelland

• Angels Among Us from Alpharetta, Georgia, submitted by Leslie Kinkade

• Black Dog Rescue of Cheyenne, Wyoming, registered by Emily Smith

• Corridor Animal Rescue of Houston, Texas, registered by Dawn Venditelli

• Delta Animal Shelter of Escanaba, Michigan, registered by April Chartre

• Helping Hands from Topeka, Kansas, submitted by Rebekah Williamson

• McKamey Animal Center of Chattanooga, Tennessee, submitted by Michele Hall

• Nicholas Pet Haven of Tyler, Texas, registered by Beckey Woodward

• Orphan Angels Cat Sanctuary of Erie, Pennsylvania, registered by Jennifer Ciotti

• PAWS from Chicago, Illinois, submitted by Kenny Kwan

• Pet Friends of Irwin, Pennsylvania, registered by Susan Reitz

• Pet Pal Animal Shelter of St. Petersburg, Florida, registered by Gary Simmons

• Puppy Haven Rescue of Tulsa, Oklahoma, registered by Lorie Vincent

• Sioux Falls Area Humane of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, registered by Samantha Kalved

• Second Chance Dog Rescue of San Diego, California, registered by Lynn Connot

For Lambert, who began volunteering with animals as a teenager, it has always been important to recognize animal shelters and the volunteers who make their life-saving work possible.

Lambert is now the mother of numerous rescued pets, including nine dogs from the shelter and several rescued cats, rabbits and horses.

“They are doing well!” Lambert told PEOPLE of her rescued group of animals.

“Delta, Cher and Bellamy have joined us on our recent Airstream adventures,” she said, referring to the road trips she has taken with her husband, Brendan McLoughlin.

Even during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the country star has enjoyed time at home with his animal family.

“My pets always help me stay grounded and keep things in perspective,” she added. “It's been nice to spend more time at home with all of them over the past year. They make me smile!”

Lambert hopes that MuttNation's work and her own experiences with rescued animals will inspire others to give adopting a pet a chance.

“I would encourage people to keep an open mind when looking for their dog. So many amazing dogs are overlooked because of stereotypes about their breed mix,” said the “Settling Down” singer. “Also, older dogs can sometimes be harder to get adopted. But the older ones are so loving and many of them are already trained, so they can be great for first-time adopters. You can really make a difference in their lives by giving them a second chance.”