A Tauranga service group is turning a classic children's craft into a support project – and it's inviting members of the public to join in next Tuesday night.

Members of Altrusa International Club of Tauranga will spend an evening making sock puppets on March 28, which will then be added to ‘Distraction Packs' for Tauranga Living without Violence.

'When parents arrive for meetings, it's useful for their children to have something to occupy them,” says Altrusa Tauranga president Sandra Bonney.

'We include a reading book, coloured pencils and a colouring book, stickers and a toy. The bag is also handmade, which gives each child something special to keep.”

Sandra says anyone is welcome to join them in this activity and can even bring along their own craft supplies.

'A clean sock, wool, ribbons, felt, hot glue gun. Anything that would help us make more sock puppets for the Distraction Packs,” says Sandra. 'Last year, we donated 100 distraction packs to Tauranga Living without Violence and we want to use this current project to build on that relationship.”

Altrusa International is a service club for women that began in the United States and now has clubs all over the world. New Zealand is District 15 and has 18 member clubs.

'We are working on building partnerships with local organisations and increasing our profile within the community,” says Sandra. 'Not many people know what Altrusa is even though our club has existed here in the Bay since 1995. We are always looking to grow our membership.

'Being able to make a difference in the community and watching the women in the group find what they're passionate about is wonderful. We can each contribute in different ways. One of our members reads with children at Gate Pa Primary each week. She just glows. She loves it so much.”

Altrusa Tauranga's Sock Puppet Making night is on Tuesday, March 28 starting 6.45pm at Matua Bowling Club, 108 Levers Rd, Matua. For more information about Altrusa or this event, email: [email protected]