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MOOSIC &mdash; After more than a year-and-a-half of planning and construction, a new grocery store has opened in the southern-most tip of Lackawanna County, and, according to some of the lead employees, the store hopes to become a pillar of the surrounding community.
				ShopRite officially opened its doors in the Birney Plaza on Thursday, taking up the space once occupied by one of the two now-shuttered Kmart locations in Lackawanna County. Katie Gallagher, who is the store&rsquo;s in-store dietitian and also acts as a spokesperson, told reporters during the opening that she&rsquo;s excited to see the long-gestating plans finally come to fruition.
				&ldquo;It&rsquo;s such a sigh of relief,&rdquo; Gallagher said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been over a year-and-a-half process, and we went through a lot of hiccups with construction and getting everything up and running, but this is the celebration part.&rdquo;
				According to her, many of those set-backs were caused by &mdash; what else? &mdash; the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
				&ldquo;The pandemic has really set us back,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Everything from being able to do the construction to getting supplies, it&rsquo;s really set us back.&rdquo;
				But set-backs or not, the store successfully opened, with numerous customers coming in to check out the place.
				Gallagher said that the customers who came streaming in on Thursday morning had had a positive reaction to the store.
				&ldquo;Moosic has really welcomed us into the community,&rdquo; she said.
				And Gallagher said that the store is committed to giving back to that community, something that is reflected by her own role as the store&rsquo;s very own dietitian.
				&ldquo;Community is such a major part of the ShopRite program,&rdquo; she said, explaining that her role is to help customers plan healthy meals, if they choose to ask for some advice from her.
				&ldquo;I can do anything from individual consultations to group classes&#8230; the sky&rsquo;s the limit,&rdquo; she said. And ShopRite is fitted with a demo kitchen, where Gallagher will be showing off tips and tricks to make the best and healthiest meals.
				If you&rsquo;re interested in booking some time with Gallagher, you can contact her directly: katie.gallagher@wakefern.com.
				Gallagher&rsquo;s comments about the store were echoed by Laura Bracey, human resources manager at the store.
				&ldquo;On behalf of the family, we&rsquo;re happy to be a part of this community, and we&rsquo;re looking forward to it,&rdquo; she said.
				Bracey and Gallagher also highlighted the store&rsquo;s use of a shop from home program, which is useful during the ongoing pandemic, wherein users can fill out a grocery order online and either pick it up in store or have it delivered to their home.
				ShopRite also boasts one of the largest seafood sections in local grocery stores, an expansive selection of beer and wine and numerous grab-and-go and restaurant-style meal options in addition to traditional groceries.

Moosic location of ShopRite opens its doors in former Kmart