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Local nonprofit presents plan to convert vacant building into Impact Center to tackle food insecurity
Summary
Impact Seminole presenters told the council they have acquired an 11,500 sq ft building and raised roughly $4 million to create a community Impact Center with a food pantry, education and workforce spaces, and a commercial kitchen; they asked the city to stay engaged as fundraising and coalition-building continue.
Dana Miller, a councilmember who has been leading neighborhood outreach, described post-tornado door-to-door visits that revealed longstanding food insecurity and prompted community organizing. “I spoke to an elderly couple who were more worried about medicine going bad than having food,” Miller said, recounting conversations that led to the project.
The presentation that followed was led by Tyler and Jenna, who said Impact Seminole has acquired the building for about $300,000 and has raised roughly $4 million toward renovation. Jenna, identified in the meeting as Impact Seminole’s board chair, said the 11,500-square-foot facility will be developed in phases: phase one (acquisition) is complete; phases two and three cover core construction and nonprofit office spaces; a later phase would add a commercial demonstration kitchen.
"We want a high-functioning food pantry offering fresh produce and refrigerated goods, plus education and job-training space so families can gain long-term stability," Jenna said. She listed planned services including after-school tutoring, parent education, job training and a rentable commercial kitchen to support small food businesses.
Presenters emphasized that the center is designed to be a community hub and to partner with existing service providers. Casey Schulberg, identified in the meeting as the building owner who agreed to sell, and other coalition members described the project as a rapid community-led effort: "From our first fundraiser in November to now, we've made a lot of progress," Tyler said.
Council members asked about fundraising progress, operations and potential city involvement. Staff said no specific city funding request was made that night; presenters asked only for ongoing engagement and the possibility of future formal requests. The presenters emphasized that additional fundraising and coalition-building remain necessary before capital or operating asks would come to the council.
The council thanked the presenters and encouraged residents to follow Impact Seminole’s public communications for updates. The presentation closed without a formal council action; presenters indicated they may return with specific requests as the project advances.
