WORCESTER, Mass. — Instead of baseball, a unique fundraiser filled up Polar Park Sunday afternoon.

Nonprofit NEADS World Class Service Dogs hosted a truck pull, "Pulling 4 Paws."

Teams of 15 played tug-of-war with an 18-wheeler to see who could get the truck over the finish line the fastest.

NEADS is a Princeton-based nonprofit providing service dogs for people with a physical disability, veterans, hearing, as well as children with autism or other developmental disabilities.

Even in the pouring rain, the nonprofit had a full slate of 16 teams for the fundraiser, which they say will go toward the organization and an array of different service dog programs. 

“I am so encouraged and so pleased because we weren’t sure what to expect,” said Cathy Zemaitis of NEADS. “And here everybody is, and they’re here, and they’re pulling, and having a great time. It’s a vital service for a lot of folks. It helps them with public access. It takes an extraordinary dog to give someone an ordinary life, and I think that really wraps it up right there.”

This was the nonprofit’s first truck pull following a three-year hiatus.

NEADS had a goal of $50,000, which they say they fully expected to hit Sunday.