Category «District Fifteen»

Christchurch City Mission Women’s Night Shelter/Walsh House

In Christchurch the City Mission run Women’s Night Shelter and Walsh House both provide accommodation for homeless, abused or otherwise disadvantaged and marginalised women. In respect of the Women’s Night Shelter Altrusa Christchurch provides seven – ten pairs of pyjamas a month for women entering the Shelter. This facility began around the time of the Christchurch earthquakes in 2010 when it was realised there was no night shelter for women – although men had had a facility for many years. The pyjamas are bought at sale prices, when available, and are mostly track type bottoms with T-shirt tops so they can be worn during the day if necessary. The women, on entering the Shelter, have a shower and new pyjamas are provided. Shelter staff have let us know that the women are so grateful and cannot believe that people unknown to them make them feel valued once again. Altrusa Christchurch also runs a “Christmas Boxes” project wherein we provide both the Shelter and Walsh House with gift bags for each of the women in their care at Christmas. These items are often the only Christmas gift the women receive.

Surrounding our Tamariki with Love

The idea of Distraction Packs was sourced from two District Fifteen projects. These packs provide colouring books, pencils and distraction toys for children who are facing stressful situations. We chose to provide 50 packs to Women’s Refuge and 30 packs to Victim Support. Club members sewed the bags at several working bees. We added 50 sets of underwear and socks, plus a book, for children to use at the refuge or for when they leave. To add our support to younger children and parents, we chose to support mothers of babies in the local NICU by providing 50 dozen muffins, and we provided every new baby born in the local birthing unit with a new book by local authors.
With fabric left over from sewing the bags for the Distraction packs, we held a club working bee to make breast pads for new mothers in the Birthing unit.

LIttle Bags of Love

Small coloured paper bags are decorated with stickers and then filled with items which will keep children occupied as they wait in our local Hospital’s Emergency Dept. Items include a toy, colouring book, crayons, story book, puzzle. Funds are raised at a Market Day to purchase items and members donate.
More recently bags suitable for older children are filled and have found their way to the Children’s ward at the Hospital.

Pamper Packs for Women

Fifty Pamper Packs for women were purchased commercially thus supporting a local business and were delivered to various organisations within our community for women going through a tough time. We chose Rest Homes, District Nurses, a Disability group, Social Services, who at their discretion gifted the pamper packs to worthy recipients.
We were told that some of the recipients were in tears after receiving their gift and that it was so rewarding to be remembered. The small things we take for granted often really make a difference in another person’s life.

Be a Santa to a Senior – Strangers giving to strangers

Timaru Club spotted this project from another District Fifteen Club and decided to do it in our area.
Residential Care facilities were approached for recipients who do not have family or friends around them at Christmas. They were asked what they would like within a reasonable dollar value and then those ‘wishes’ are forwarded to us.
A Christmas tree is set up in our local library with the ‘wishes’, the public take a wish, purchase the item/s and return to us unwrapped at a later date. Altrusa members gather to wrap and just before Christmas the gifts are delivered to the Care facilities. A common comment from recipients is often “why would anyone do this for me”

Cuddle Hearts

This was such a heartwarming project for us during 2022, knowing the need is for 3000 hearts annually in our wider region meaning 1000 of our little babies are vulnerable at birth and these hearts assist in bonding when real ‘cuddles’ are not possible.
Cuddle hearts strengthen the bond between mums and bubs while at the unit as many babies are unable to be cuddled. A set of 3 hearts are given to each newborn. The smells of both the baby and mother are absorbed into the heart and then swapped over.
It was by chance a member saw this need in our community so investigated further bringing an example of a cuddle heart to a meeting and so this project was born!
The hearts are made from 100% cotton fabric with no embellishments/filling and to a very specific size, the reason being is to prevent them being lost in bedding and hindering tubes etc attached to the baby.

Days for Girls

Our DfG project commenced in 2018 and still continues in 2023. After hearing at a District Conference, how girls in some overseas countries very rarely have access to feminine hygiene products and sit on cardboard each month we started planning to include DfG as a hands-on project for our club. Sewing days are organised inviting along not only Altrusans but our community as well to help us cut, match, stitch, press, overlock, glue and sometimes unpick! It is fantastic to have our community help us which has led to some helping with other projects too! We have donated underwear, soaps, facecloths, money alongside feminine hygiene products to our own community helping overcome period poverty for struggling families locally

Distraction Packs

Distraction Packs are donated to local emergency services. Police and Ambulance have the packs in their vehicles to give to children at the scene of an incident or accident to distract them while their parents are being interviewed or attended to. The feedback from the emergency services has been very positive.The packs contain coloring books coloured pencils, stickers and a book or toy. The items are put in a zip lock bag. We source coloring books with a story to help with literacy. We are using a sponsorship model for this project. Businesses and individuals have sponsored packs at a set value. We assemble as many packs as we have sponsorship for. This means we can use our fundraising for other projects.

Distraction Packs

Laundromat Library

After seeing seeing Laundromat Libraries on Altrusa club Facebook pages, we placed a bookshelf in our local 24 hour Laundromat. Each club member is on a roster to keep the shelf tidy and stocked with adult and children’s books and magazines . Books and magazines are donated. Book drops are publicized on Facebook. The community have embraced the book shelf and keep it well stocked and it turns over quickly. Apart from the initial outlay of paint for a donated bookshelf and member’s time this project has not cost anything. All books donated by club members are counted in the Million Books challenge. Because of the strong community uptake we are happily struggling to meet big numbers. We hope to build on this library idea but putting up a community free library near a local park.