Former curling club new home for 2 Moncton charities

A formercurling clubon Lutz Street.in downtown Moncton,is the new home oftwo local charities.

What Kids Need Moncton and The Humanity Projectare setting up inthe former Moncton Curlers' Association building.

AmandaPooley started theregistered charity,What Kids Need Moncton,four years ago out of herbasement collecting and handing out toys at Christmas.

It's since grown into a tutoring program for kids, as well as a meal program for people in need.

Pooley says as the charity's mandate has grown, so has its need for space.

She says taking over the Moncton Curlers' Association building is a much bigger commitment than her 1,000squarefeetof donated space, but she's looking forward to putting it to good use.

Rent-free until the end of April

Pooley said the move is a "scary" step to take.

"It wasn't something that we just jumped into," she said.

"Between my group and The Humanity Project,with the support that we have gotten from the community ... has been overwhelming to the point where we feel confident enough that we're going to be able to fix the building up eventually."

Pooleysaid shehopes to hire more teachers soon to meet the growing demand for her low-cost tutoring program, Learning Buddies, where children are able to receive an hour of tutoring with a certified teacher for $5.

She says she'salso happy to beable to bring the mealprogram indoors.

"Up until a couple of days ago we were still in a parking lot serving meals,which obviously with the weather we've been having has led to some serious difficultiesand now we're inside which is amazing," she said.

Pooley says the groups will havethe building rent free until the end of April, at which point they hope to sign a rental agreement and start fixing it up.

"Right now the biggest thing is to pay the utilities, the heat and the hydro," she said.

'It's a win-win'

The curling club's building was going to be put on the market, after Curl Moncton decided to consolidate its rinksand expand its club onLockhart Avenue.

But Jacques Robichaud, aspokesperson for the group,says this offer jumped out at the group.

"We've had a few callsand one that proved to be interesting enoughthat we held back on listing the building," Robichaud said.

"So we're now finalizing the agreement with The Humanity Project for their use of the building and property."

It's an agreement Robichaud says workswell for all parties involved.

"If we can redirect the resources into our curling facility,for us it's a definite win there because we want to develop Curl Moncton into the center of curling excellence for all of Eastern Canada," he said.

"So, it's a win-win."