The Cherry Hill Food Pantry has officially moved into a new location, but its organizers say that there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure the organization can keep serving the community.

"I’m almost speechless about having our own place. It was a dream that I was told by many would never come true,” says executive director Janet Giordano.

The not-for-profit food pantry was scrambling earlier in the year to find a new space after their lease wasn't renewed in the previous location. They decided to buy a space on Beechwood Avenue in Cherry Hill. Giordano says that while she is happy, the current setup in the location is not ideal.

"If I had a business where I need it a lot of little offices, it would be just a little renovation of the restrooms and some flooring and we would be all set,” she says. “However, those offices all have to leave."

Giordano says that what the pantry needs most right now is monetary donations and skilled workers who can donate their time and materials for the renovation.

"We need people to come through with plasterboard for the new flooring. I need 500 linear feet of baseboard and we need paint,” she says.

The food pantry is also looking for someone who could donate a construction dumpster.

‘That would be wonderful, because every little bit that the community can give to us will help us save our money,” Giordano says.

Unlike some food pantries, the Cherry Hill Food Pantry provides its clients with a grocery store-type of experience. Giordano says that this is something everyone deserves.

"Why should they have an experience any different from ours? I get a shopping cart when I do my shopping. I go up and down aisles…so why should it be any different for anybody else?” asks Giordano.

The food pantry will begin serving the community on Thursday. It will change its normal experience to a drive-thru. Giordano says that she hopes to have the supermarket-style pantry up and running in the next few months.