Open Arms of Minnesota

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Welcome to Open Arms
Open Arms of Minnesota prepares & delivers nourishing meals to critically ill Minnesotans and their families in need —100% free of charge to our clients.
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Fresh, Healthy, Delicious
Our dietitians guide our trained chefs in developing a variety of tasty menu items tailored to specific illnesses.
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Nutrition Support
Our dietitians provide free-of-cost nutrition education & support directly to clients, with a focus on individualized care
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A Community of Love
Open Arms is powered by our incredible volunteers, who ensure our critically ill neighbors are always nourished with love.
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Staying Safe
Click to learn how we're keeping our clients, volunteers, and staff safe during COVID-19.
Latest update
Opening Our Arms Wider To Nourish Our Neighbors
Click to learn more about the $6.8M Opening Our Arms Wider To Nourish Our Neighbors campaign aimed at capacity increases, client and volunteer growth, and expansion to the East Metro.
Campaign Website
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What We Offer

Medically Tailored Meals

Our registered dietitians guide our trained chefs in developing delicious, made-from-scratch meals tailored to specific illnesses.

Convenient Home Deliveries

With the help of our volunteer drivers, we deliver a week’s worth of meals at a time, allowing clients to focus on healing and spending more time with loved ones.

Nutrition
Support

Our Nutrition Team is always available for our clients. They provide each client a nutritional assessment and offer free nutrition counseling & education services.​

HEALTHY
Ingredients

We use fresh, local, and organic ingredients whenever possible—most of it prepared in-house and some of it grown ourselves at one of our five Open Farms locations.

Care for
Clients & FAmiLy

Meals are delivered not only to our clients, but also to dependents and caregivers. Income is not a qualifier for our services, and we operate on models of abundance, community, & social responsibility.

A Community of Kindness & Love

Everything we do relies on our incredible community of supporters and volunteers, who ensure that our meals are always prepared and delivered with love.
What you all do is so important. There are many people we know who have benefited from your services, should have, or could have had they lived in the Twin Cities — it could happen to any of us. Thank you for what you and all of the volunteers do.
Marina, a supporter of Open Arms
Thank you to the many generous donors, countless volunteers, and staff for providing me with the one bright spot in my week. You all have made such a difference in my life, and I can't thank you enough.
A client of Open Arms
As a dietitian, I know the impact nutrition has on health, and I am grateful Open Arms is able to serve so many people in the Twin Cities. Thanks for the work you do!
A supporter of Open Arms
My form of cancer gets me tired all the time and short of breath. If I had to cook, I would probably skip many meals, doing myself and my body no good... I could not live with this cancer without your help.
Mark, a client living with cancer
The delivery driver just left about 15 minutes ago. You may not hear it too much in my voice, but you brought tears to my eyes. You did it last week too. God bless you, thank you and just continue what you're doing.
A client living with MS
I have ALS and the meals delivered weekly despite the virus pandemic is awesome. I live alone and have escaped the virus so far. But that’s because of the food delivery from Open Arms. It’s the thoughtfulness of supporters, staff, and volunteers that makes my world bright.
Patience, a longtime client living with ALS

FY 2021 By The Numbers

3,757

clients, caregivers and dependents served with our nourishing meals

794k

medically tailored meals cooked and delivered to our clients

62k

hours of time donated by 6,600 volunteers, equaling ~30 employees

3,726

donors supported our neighbors living with life-threatening illnesses

Our Impact

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Remember those yummy cupcakes from Moveable Feast? They were supplied by our friends at Lunds & Byerlys! Guess what, there are plenty more to be had as a part of Cupcakes For A Cause happening throughout August! $1 from every one of their delicious gourmet cupcakes will go directly to Open Arms – up to $10,000!

To make the most of this month, WE NEED HELP finding volunteers to help with a special event being held on Saturday, August 20 at all Lunds & Byerlys stores. We’re …

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Remember those yummy cupcakes from Moveable Feast? They were supplied by our friends at Lunds & Byerlys! Guess what, there are plenty more to be had as a part of Cupcakes For A Cause happening throughout August! $1 from every one of their delicious gourmet cupcakes will go directly to Open Arms – up to $10,000! To make the most of this month, WE NEED HELP finding volunteers to help with a special event being held on Saturday, August 20 at all Lunds & Byerlys stores. We’re looking for on-site ambassadors to help provide cupcake samples along with information about Open Arms’ services, volunteer opportunities, and ways to support our mission. There are two shifts at each store from 12-2 p.m. and 2-4 p.m. If you know of anyone who might be interested in volunteering at any of the Lunds & Byerlys locations on August 20, please reach out to michaelm@openarmsmn.org.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT: Ann Ibarra is a member of our Food Services team, serving as our Food Services Manager! She brings an extensive breadth of experience in kitchens across the country, making her way to Open Arms after breaking into the nonprofit world at People Serving People. Ann has a passion for community nutrition and is eager to learn first-hand how medically tailored meals can benefit individuals and communities!

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STAFF SPOTLIGHT: Ann Ibarra is a member of our Food Services team, serving as our Food Services Manager! She brings an extensive breadth of experience in kitchens across the country, making her way to Open Arms after breaking into the nonprofit world at People Serving People. Ann has a passion for community nutrition and is eager to learn first-hand how medically tailored meals can benefit individuals and communities!

We're fortunate to work with a number of wonderful partners at Open Arms, but perhaps none are "sweeter" than our friends at @lundsandbyerlys! Here they are helping out in our garden last year.

We're halfway through August so here's a reminder that Cupcakes For A Cause continues the rest of the month! As part of the celebration, a special event is being held on Saturday, August 20th at all Lunds & Byerlys’ stores and we could use your help! If …

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Open
We're fortunate to work with a number of wonderful partners at Open Arms, but perhaps none are "sweeter" than our friends at @lundsandbyerlys! Here they are helping out in our garden last year. We're halfway through August so here's a reminder that Cupcakes For A Cause continues the rest of the month! As part of the celebration, a special event is being held on Saturday, August 20th at all Lunds & Byerlys’ stores and we could use your help! If you're interested in volunteering, please reach out to our volunteer engagement team at volunteer@openarmsmn.org or call 612-872-1152.

Stacks on stacks! A peak into the many roles our volunteers play in our kitchen! #medicallytailoredmeals

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Stacks on stacks! A peak into the many roles our volunteers play in our kitchen! #medicallytailoredmeals

Be on the lookout for the latest DISH newsletter in your inbox! If you don't receive our DISH, maybe it's time you sign up! Head to the link in our bio where you can subscribe and check out previous editions!

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Be on the lookout for the latest DISH newsletter in your inbox! If you don't receive our DISH, maybe it's time you sign up! Head to the link in our bio where you can subscribe and check out previous editions!

STAFF SPOTLIGHT: Samuel Truhler is a member of our wonderful development team as our Development Database Coordinator! Sam comes to Open Arms from the Sanneh Project, where he worked in fundraising and stewardship. He’s excited to continue to meet more clients, volunteers, and donors, and we are thrilled he’s a part of our team!

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STAFF SPOTLIGHT: Samuel Truhler is a member of our wonderful development team as our Development Database Coordinator! Sam comes to Open Arms from the Sanneh Project, where he worked in fundraising and stewardship. He’s excited to continue to meet more clients, volunteers, and donors, and we are thrilled he’s a part of our team!

Lets start the week off at the farm and a check in with our Open Farms Manager, Kelly Wilson! If you're interested in volunteering at one of our Open Farms locations, please go to openarmsmn.org/open-farms for more information!

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Lets start the week off at the farm and a check in with our Open Farms Manager, Kelly Wilson! If you're interested in volunteering at one of our Open Farms locations, please go to openarmsmn.org/open-farms for more information!

Our team of registered dietitians and chefs work together to create menus that are medically tailored to the specific illness our clients are living with. We are happy to work with incredible, hard-working professionals to create nutritious and delicious meals for our clients, to take one thing off their plate! 🧡💛

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Our team of registered dietitians and chefs work together to create menus that are medically tailored to the specific illness our clients are living with. We are happy to work with incredible, hard-working professionals to create nutritious and delicious meals for our clients, to take one thing off their plate! 🧡💛

Cupcakes for a Cause, one of the sweetest events of the year, is back! 🧁 Throughout the month of August, our friends at @lundsandbyerlys will generously donate $1 from their delicious gourmet cupcakes to Open Arms – up to $10,000!

All of Lunds & Byerlys' 28 locations are participating in Cupcakes for a Cause, and each year we look forward to sharing this delicious way to give back! Don’t miss the opportunity to satisfy your sweet tooth and give back at the same time. …

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Open
Cupcakes for a Cause, one of the sweetest events of the year, is back! 🧁 Throughout the month of August, our friends at @lundsandbyerlys will generously donate $1 from their delicious gourmet cupcakes to Open Arms – up to $10,000! All of Lunds & Byerlys' 28 locations are participating in Cupcakes for a Cause, and each year we look forward to sharing this delicious way to give back! Don’t miss the opportunity to satisfy your sweet tooth and give back at the same time. 🧡💛 We are so grateful to @lundsandbyerlys for all the ways they support our mission of providing food as medicine to Minnesotans living with life-threatening and critical illnesses.

In case you missed it, here is the @twincitieslive story from our Abundance Farm, one of our five Open Farms locations! 💚 At the St. Paul urban farm, @kstptv reporter @kellitcl spoke with Kelly Wilson, Open Arms’ Farm Manager, about our program and chatted with some fabulous volunteers from @capsule.design about why they chose to volunteer on the farm!

Thanks to @twincitieslive for visiting our Open Farms and sharing about this unique program! 🌱

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In case you missed it, here is the @twincitieslive story from our Abundance Farm, one of our five Open Farms locations! 💚 At the St. Paul urban farm, @kstptv reporter @kellitcl spoke with Kelly Wilson, Open Arms’ Farm Manager, about our program and chatted with some fabulous volunteers from @capsule.design about why they chose to volunteer on the farm! Thanks to @twincitieslive for visiting our Open Farms and sharing about this unique program! 🌱

Thank you to the @sahanjournal for sharing about our Culturally Specific Meal Project! The article includes interviews with our Culturally Specific Meal Project Manager, Yia Yang, Director of Nutrition Services, Laura Strait, and one of our incredible clients in St. Paul. 🧡💛 You can read the article by visiting the link in our bio!

They also mentioned we are looking for recipes from East African, Hmong, and Latinx communities! If you have lived experiences in those communities …

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Thank you to the @sahanjournal for sharing about our Culturally Specific Meal Project! The article includes interviews with our Culturally Specific Meal Project Manager, Yia Yang, Director of Nutrition Services, Laura Strait, and one of our incredible clients in St. Paul. 🧡💛 You can read the article by visiting the link in our bio! They also mentioned we are looking for recipes from East African, Hmong, and Latinx communities! If you have lived experiences in those communities and have a recipe you’d like to share, you can earn $200 if it’s approved! For more information, please also visit the link in our bio. Article by @adwanwrites

Happy *almost August! ☀️ Can you help us start this month off to a great start by helping prepare and deliver nutritious meals to our critically ill clients?

Our greatest volunteer needs for the first week of August are…

🌱Open Farms
*10:00 am – 12:00 pm (Afton)
*1:00 – 3:00 pm Monday and Wednesday (Afton)

🥦Kitchen of Opportunities (KOO)
* 8:00 – 10:00 am Tuesday – Friday
* 10:00 am – 12:00 pm Wednesday – Friday
* 12:00…

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Happy *almost August! ☀️ Can you help us start this month off to a great start by helping prepare and deliver nutritious meals to our critically ill clients? Our greatest volunteer needs for the first week of August are... 🌱Open Farms *10:00 am – 12:00 pm (Afton) *1:00 – 3:00 pm Monday and Wednesday (Afton) 🥦Kitchen of Opportunities (KOO) * 8:00 – 10:00 am Tuesday – Friday * 10:00 am – 12:00 pm Wednesday – Friday * 12:00 – 2:00 pm Tuesday – Friday * 2:00 – 4:00 pm Tuesday – Friday 🚗Drive-thru delivery * Tuesday - Friday 🥕2500 kitchen * 7:30 – 9:30 am Monday, Wednesday – Friday * 9:00 – 11:00 am Monday – Friday * 11:30 am – 1:30 pm Tuesday – Friday * 5:00 – 7:00 pm Monday – Friday * All Saturday shifts (8:00 – 10:00 am, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm, 1:00 – 3:00 pm)

As Culinary Arts month comes to an end, we are taking you to the “hot line” and bakery in the Open Arms building to see what our talented team of chefs and bakers are cooking up!

On the hot line, this cool crew is preparing cilantro and mahi mahi which will be incorporated into nourishing meals for our clients. And in the bakery our bakers are zesting limes and preparing cookies for our clients.

Thank you to ALL of our chefs and bakers for sharing your talents with our …

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As Culinary Arts month comes to an end, we are taking you to the “hot line” and bakery in the Open Arms building to see what our talented team of chefs and bakers are cooking up! On the hot line, this cool crew is preparing cilantro and mahi mahi which will be incorporated into nourishing meals for our clients. And in the bakery our bakers are zesting limes and preparing cookies for our clients. Thank you to ALL of our chefs and bakers for sharing your talents with our critically ill neighbors.

This month our CEO and fearless leader, Leah, celebrated her ninth anniversary at Open Arms! 🧡💛 Leah has led Open Arms through tremendous growth, a new global pandemic, racial awakening in our community, and expanding our reach to greater Minnesota.

We are so fortunate for Leah’s leadership as we open our second kitchen and campus in St. Paul, allowing Open Arms to better serve our neighbors living in the east metro!

Thank you, Leah, for always thinking of how we can …

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This month our CEO and fearless leader, Leah, celebrated her ninth anniversary at Open Arms! 🧡💛 Leah has led Open Arms through tremendous growth, a new global pandemic, racial awakening in our community, and expanding our reach to greater Minnesota. We are so fortunate for Leah’s leadership as we open our second kitchen and campus in St. Paul, allowing Open Arms to better serve our neighbors living in the east metro! Thank you, Leah, for always thinking of how we can make more room at the Open Arms’ table.

Open Arms provides all of our clients with birthday cakes baked by our bakers and volunteers on their birthdays. 🎂 It’s just one more way we can celebrate and show love to our neighbors living with life-threatening and critical illnesses.

Each week on average, we deliver 36 birthday cakes to our clients! Thank you to our volunteers and supporters for making this possible. ❤️

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Open Arms provides all of our clients with birthday cakes baked by our bakers and volunteers on their birthdays. 🎂 It’s just one more way we can celebrate and show love to our neighbors living with life-threatening and critical illnesses. Each week on average, we deliver 36 birthday cakes to our clients! Thank you to our volunteers and supporters for making this possible. ❤️

Follow along and watch the magic that is the delivery of #MedicallyTailoredMeals to some of our neighbors in need. @twincitieslive reporter @kellitcl stopped by Open Arms last week to chat with some of our fantastic volunteer delivery drivers and rode along to meet two of our incredible clients. 🧡💛

Thank you, @twincitieslive, for capturing this beautiful day! ☺️

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Follow along and watch the magic that is the delivery of #MedicallyTailoredMeals to some of our neighbors in need. @twincitieslive reporter @kellitcl stopped by Open Arms last week to chat with some of our fantastic volunteer delivery drivers and rode along to meet two of our incredible clients. 🧡💛 Thank you, @twincitieslive, for capturing this beautiful day! ☺️

Our friends at @SAFCO Prod are true heroes for braving the heat while volunteering at one of our Open Farms locations! The plants producing veggies and herbs in our urban gardens require a bit more love during extremely hot days, and SAFCO doled out lots of love during their shift.

@SAFCO creates workspace furnishing that allows anyone to work in their preferred and unique way. Not only does SAFCO volunteer with us often, but they also donate to support nourishing Minnesotans living …

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Open
Our friends at @SAFCO Prod are true heroes for braving the heat while volunteering at one of our Open Farms locations! The plants producing veggies and herbs in our urban gardens require a bit more love during extremely hot days, and SAFCO doled out lots of love during their shift. @SAFCO creates workspace furnishing that allows anyone to work in their preferred and unique way. Not only does SAFCO volunteer with us often, but they also donate to support nourishing Minnesotans living with life-threatening and critical illnesses. Thanks, SAFCO! We can’t wait to see you back soon!

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