The monthly food distribution in Jim Thorpe will move to a new location, at least temporarily, while renovations begin to Memorial Park Hall.

Ebenezer Evangelical Congregational Church in the Heights has been holding the program at Memorial Hall for several years.

“We started years ago at the church,” said Pam Moore, Coordinator of the food pantry. “It became too congested and we were able to move here to Memorial Park Hall.”

The new location will be in the 100 block of Fern Street, in a large garage behind Ned’s Cleaners on the East Side of Jim Thorpe. The next food distribution is from 9-11 a.m. Saturday, March 9.

“We are going to have traffic coming down Fern Street and then exit onto Front Street,” Moore said. “We want to try to keep traffic off North Street as much as possible. We did not want to come up from Front Street onto Fern, as that would cause traffic to back up on the bridge.”

Local food pantries are seeing more need than ever.

“I got here at quarter after seven, and there were around 10 people standing there already,” Moore said. “When we get enough people to man the tables, we start.”

The food pantry will still use the refrigerators and freezers at Memorial Hall during the renovation.

Whether the pantry can return to Memorial Hall depends on the renovations and what room might be available afterward. The pantry uses at least half of the hall, and the renovations will have part of the hall converted to borough offices