"My relationship with them has just deepened over the years."
The Leprosy Mission NZ work in places such as India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bougainville, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Micronesia, Ethiopia, Niger, Nigeria and China.
While its main focus is eradicating leprosy, it also empowers people by giving them the skills to earn a living.
Another facet of its work is trying to de-stigmatise those who have been cured from leprosy and funding various surgeries.
It also offers scholarships, with Havelock North woman Miriam Whitton recently sent to Nepal as a Youth Advocate for the charity.
Ms Peters decided to do some extra fundraising for the cause after reading a touching story about the mission's work at a leprosy hospital in Muzaffarpur, India.
"That really caught my heart," she said.
In April 2010, Ms Peters began growing her hair with the aim of shaving it off this March - her 50th birthday.
The shavathon will take place on Friday, March 30 at 6pm in the St James Anglican Church lounge, Hastings.
Afterwards, Ms Peters will donate her locks to the Waikato Hair Replacement Centre, where they make hair units for cancer patients and burn victims.
In the lead up to shaving her hair, Ms Peters would be collecting outside The Warehouse, Countdown, Harvey Norman and K-Mart in Hastings.
There is also an account set up at NZCUBaywide in Hastings under the account name Leprosy Mission. Account number: 03 1753 0429009 05.