COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

Promoting good food and health in our community

In 2010, Open Arms moved into its brand new facility at 2500 Bloomington Avenue, gaining a beautiful state-of-the-art kitchen, enormous walk-in refrigerators and pantry space, and spacious conference rooms.

We immediately recognized that this beautiful building increased our capacity to do more -- not only for our clients, but also for our Phillips Neighborhood and Twin Cities community.

Here are a few of the ways in which we are using our facility to give back to our the community:

Meals on Wheels

Open Arms partners with nine Minneapolis Meals on Wheels affiliates within Ramsey County to provide meals for senior citizens in our community. These meals are cooked by Open Arms staff during an overnight shift and coordinated and delivered by Meals on Wheels staff and volunteers -- yes, our facility is now open 24 hours a day! The partnership allows us to use our experience providing multiple menus to help Meals on Wheels increase nutrition and choice for seniors.

Summer Lunch Programs

During the 2011 summer, Open Arms supported Phillips Neighborhood families with free meals for kids. In partnership with The East Phillips Park Cultural and Community Center and The Minnesota Department of Education, the program ran from June 20 to August 11, feeding about 65 kids each day who gathered at the Center for healthy lunches and snacks. 

Phillips Neighborhood Associations

Members of the Phillips Neighborhood Associations use our conference rooms for their monthly meetings.

MPLS Swappers

The Minneapolis Swappers, a group that brings folks together to trade their homemade food items, hold their monthly gatherings in the light-filled lobby at Open Arms. Take a peek at the MPLS Swappers Facebook page to see when the next gathering will happen.