New Brunswick·NewA charitable group built beds for kids between the ages of three and 17 on Saturday in Moncton.Sleep in Heavenly Peace Moncton says it already has 26 kids on waitlist Rhythm Rathi · CBC News · Posted: Aug 30, 2025 4:15 PM EDT | Last Updated: 13 minutes agoAnastasiia Lychko said she is happy that all of her children will soon have beds. (Victoria Walton/CBC)Anastasiia Lychko watched a group of volunteers build wooden beds for kids in need on Saturday.She said she was grateful for all the sanding, drilling and staining to make it happen. Seven of those beds were going to her house.”That’s a huge help for us, so yeah, so grateful,” she said.The beds were built in the parking lot of a Moncton RONA location. The event was organized by the charitable group Sleep in Heavenly Peace.RONA donated wood for 100 beds and the charity’s volunteers built 15 of those on Saturday.Sanding is a big part of the job, said chapter president Jim Merzetti. (Victoria Walton/CBC)Lychko has eight kids. She said her only daughter sleeps on a bed, while the seven boys use mattresses. Her family moved from Ukraine to New Brunswick a year ago. The food bank in Albert County introduced them to the bed-building charity.”I didn’t know it’s going to be new beds, so my thoughts was like maybe it’s going to be like second-hand beds … we’re so grateful to have them,” she said. “It makes my heart just happy, just so grateful for these people, for their hearts.”She said buying beds was not their immediate priority as newcomers. The program saved them an expense.”We have to provide the food first and the rent for our kids … and then they have a safe place,” said Lychko.Volunteers require no experience and can be trained in 10 minutes. (Victoria Walton/CBC)Jim Merzetti, the charity’s Moncton chapter president, said his volunteers have been busy since they got started this spring.Any kid between the ages of three and 17 is eligible to receive a bed. He said they already have 26 people on a waitlist.”The need just doesn’t stop, it’s growing,” he said. Merzetti said each bed requires about $450 of donated supplies to complete. He said the group is always looking for more volunteers and the training to make a bed doesn’t take long.The charity already has more than two dozen kids on a waitlist for beds. (Victoria Walton/CBC)Since spring, the charity has donated nine beds, he said.He said the beds are made of spruce and need a lot of sanding. There have been a few learning curves as the chapter gains experience.”They’re not building pianos, obviously, but it’s sturdy, it’s safe, it’s comfortable, and they get a brand new mattress, brand new bedding, brand new pillow, everything is [included].”ABOUT THE AUTHORRhythm Rathi is a reporter with CBC New Brunswick in Moncton. He was born and raised in India, and attended journalism school in Ontario. Send your story tips to rhythm.rathi@cbc.ca With files from Victoria Walton
Charity in Moncton builds new beds for kids who dream of owning one
