Hopping from Te Puke to Eastern Europe: Rabbits for Refugees

Te Puke's Trudy Knibbs is making rabbits that are going to Ukrainian refugees with sponsorship being used for medical supplies.

Through an initiative hopping from Te Puke to Hungary and Poland, a warren of rabbits has made its way to Ukrainian children.

As Rabbits for Refugees, Te Puke's Trudy Knibbs made and continues to make the bunnies, with each one sponsored for a minimum of $40.

The first consignment of 10 landed in Hungary on Friday and were given to child refugees early this week. Money raised has gone to Poland to buy medical supplies.

Trudy says when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, she couldn't sit back.

''I knew I had to do something - I just said 'I'll make rabbits' and my daughter [Maddie] said 'Rabbits for Refugees'. And now they are bounding their way across the world.''

A cousin of Trudy's husband Chris lives in Hungary and she and her husband have taken in three refugee families.

''They are also working closely with a refugee centre and so that's where [the rabbits] have gone. There's a school with only Ukraine children in it and they've got no money, no nothing."

The rabbits are going to children who have had to leave everything behind - their pets, toys and friends and sometimes brothers and fathers.

''It's just to give them something that's theirs to hug.''

The money raised so far has been sent to Poland where it was used to buy medical supplies that were then taken across the border into Ukraine.

''We knew they needed medical supplies, but we can't send those - we can only send money. I don't have a lot of money, but I have the ability to make rabbits so I thought if I can get them sponsored people can pay for the medical supplies and the rabbits can go to children.

''I'm not setting the world on fire and it's not a massive amount of money, it's just something I can do.''

Chris' cousin isn't the only link Trudy and Maddie have with eastern Europe.

They are members of HMBNZ - Historic Medieval Battles NZ - a modern, full contact fighting sport that is popular in Eastern Europe. Maddie is a member of the New Zealand team and was due to travel to Europe to fight this year.

''That's how we know people in Poland, Ukraine and in Russia,'' says Trudy.

She says it hasn't been possible to contact the people they know in Russia.

Trudy is completing her third group of 10 rabbits. They all wear dungarees and have a silver fern on the back. It takes her a week of her spare time to make 10.

Each is numbered and the number recorded against the person sponsoring it.

''Someone, some day might say 'where did it come from? and might post [on Facebook] 'I've got such and such a number' and I will be able to say who sponsored it.''

The rabbits' progress can be followed on the Rabbits for Refugees Facebook page.