In middle school shuffle, He Will Provide Inc. will move into Senior Center space to be vacated by Parks and Recreation

September 17, 2026, Seward Folly by Michael Armstrong

Special to The Seward Folly

When the Seward City Council in July approved a $1 annual lease of the Seward Middle School, moving Parks and Recreation’s programs to the school opened up opportunities for other organizations to move into space vacated by Parks and Rec in the Senior Center. City Manager Kat Sorensen said then it “would make a lot more sense” for He Will Provide Inc., Seward’s food pantry, to move from its current location of the basement of the city annex to the Senior Center.

At Monday’s meeting, the council made that happen when it approved a 5-year lease for the food pantry in the Senior Center. HWPI will continue to pay $300 a month in rent, with an option of two 5-year extensions. The resolution passed without objection.

Founded in 2007, in 2025 HWPI served an average of 60 clients weekly for a total of 378 clients, of whom 10 were unhoused or camping. Most clients used the pantry from one to 10 times, with 15 clients visiting 31 times or more. Its peak distribution day was 90 clients during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season. Staffed completely by volunteers, last year they distributed 30,000 pounds of food. HWPI has no partnerships or relationship with any Seward religious organization.

The only concern over the lease came from Council Member Lori Draper.

“My comment is that I was thinking when we took the middle school on as a community center that all the dominoes that fell into place of things that were going to move there would have to be able to fall back the other way in case the middle school became a school again,” she said. “If we approve this, that puts the teen and youth center in the position of having to scramble to find a place if it becomes a school again.”

Assistant City Manager Jason Bickling reassured Draper that should that happen, the city or HWPI could change its lease if they gave adequate notice. 

Seward Mayor Sue McClure said with the parking area closer, the new location for the food pantry at the Senior Center would provide better access.

“I’m really happy what we’ve done with the new contract with He Will Provide pantry,” she said. “I think that, you know, historically, they’ve been in existence for quite a while now, and they’ve been doing so much good.”

Michael Armstrong is a retired journalist currently volunteering as the editor of the Homer Independent Press. Armstrong can be reached at wordfolk@gmail.com.

The Seward Folly co-publisher Robert Barnwell is a current member of the Seward City Council. Barnwell did not participate in the editing of this story.