About Us
At Open Arms, there’s always room for one more at our table.
Our Mission: By providing food as medicine, we nourish our clients and build community.
Our Purpose: We create an inclusive and joyful community to provide high-quality medically tailored meals, nutrition education, and hope to our clients.
About Open Arms
It’s a simple notion: people who are sick should not be without food. Yet, every day, our neighbors with life-threatening illnesses find themselves unable to shop or cook — and, often, without the support network to help.
That’s where we come in. Open Arms of Minnesota is a nonprofit organization that prepares and delivers medically tailored meals at no cost to critically ill Minnesotans and their loved ones. Our registered dietitians and in-house chefs create delicious, medically tailored menus using fresh and organic ingredients whenever possible. Through the support of a loving community of donors and volunteers, we harvest, cook, and deliver nutritious, made-from-scratch meals directly to our clients.
At Open Arms, we believe that food is medicine, and there’s always room for one more at our table.
This bird’s-eye view of our operations captures the magic taking place in our building every day.
Our Values
Community
As neighbors feeding neighbors, we are committed to creating an inclusive community that celebrates life and honors dignity. We intentionally cultivate joyful community where all members feel genuinely welcome and personally known. We are deeply connected in our work to achieve a common goal and engage in sharing ideas to enhance our collective efforts. We believe that all people who are ill — no matter their economic status — should have access to appropriate nutrition.
Abundance
We operate on the abundance model, believing that the resources and compassion we need to support our work are available in our community. We strive to always be able to say, "Yes, there is room for one more at our table.”
Innovation
We take calculated risks to expand our thinking, programming and worldview. We actively seek creative solutions to challenges. We are committed to excellence by going above and beyond and by the process of continuous improvement.
Hope
Hope is the secret ingredient in all of our recipes and in every interaction with our stakeholders. It is how we provide an experience that is as transformative for our donors, volunteers, staff and clients as it is for our community. Hope is grounded in and generated in our physical space and is delivered with every meal.
Our Strategic Priorities
2023-2028 Strategic Priorities
1. OAM serves our clients as the leading food is medicine expert in our community, and we are the partner of choice when medically tailored meals are needed.
- Define and Measure our Impact
- Increase RD access in community
- Expand Outreach
- Increase Awareness through Marketing
2. OAM expands our reach, supported by a sustainable financial and operational plan.
- Diversify and expand funding sources
- Prioritize technology investments
- Create an operating reserve
- Define, Develop and Measure Key Performance Indicators
3. OAM cultivates a joyful and inclusive culture driven by our values, that attracts and retains mission-driven volunteers, employees, donors and other stakeholders.
- Build a values-aligned employee experience
- Grow Volunteer Base
- Define and communicate OAM culture and unique brand
- Implement Diversity Equity Inclusion (DEI) initiative
4. OAM provides a high-quality, client-focused program, directed by research and best practices, and shaped by the evolving needs of program recipients.
- Infuse feedback into programming
- Ensure meal program delivers on OAM brand
- Create continuum of care
- Create offerings grounded in research and best practices
We are building a community of kindness at Open Arms, and our clients feel that. Each delivery of medically tailored meals sends a message of hope and love to a client who might be isolated or struggling that day.
Leah Hébert Welles, CEO
Our Promise
Deeply Personal
When you engage with Open Arms of Minnesota, people know your name and your story, and they remember you.
Connected & Engaged
Being in relationship with us means connecting to a broader community that pays attention to the contexts impacting those we serve. We listen as you share ideas and feedback to enhance our collective efforts.
Grounded in “Home”
You can be a part of the Open Arms family through the activities in our physical space. The hope generated in this physical space is delivered by you — literally and figuratively — to our clients’ doors.
Going Above and Beyond
Open Arms’ commitment to excellence is reflected in all it does, from its staff talent to the experiences it delivers to volunteers, to the home-made, nutritious, medically tailored meals it provides clients.
Genuinely Welcoming
Sharing our hospitality means you will experience smiles, genuine curiosity, timely responses, and a positive, solutions-oriented vibe.
Committed to Continuous Improvement
Because Open Arms is dedicated to ongoing reflection, assessment and refinement, you can be assured that we are always striving to be a better organization and member of the community.
Abundance
We operate on the abundance model, believing that the resources and compassion we need to support our work are available in our community. We are committed to making best use of our resources: volunteer time, community relationships and donor generosity.
Social Responsibility
We believe that all people who are ill — no matter their economic status — should have access to appropriate nutrition. We strive to always be able to say, “Yes, there is room for one more at our table.”
Community
As neighbors feeding neighbors, we are committed to creating an inclusive community that celebrates life and honors dignity. We will bring people from all walks of life together to volunteer, share, learn, heal, grow, have fun — and achieve a common goal.
Innovation
We take calculated risks to expand our thinking, programming and worldview and to actively seek creative responses to local and global challenges. This ensures that we stay on the cutting edge in all that we do — from growing ingredients to delivering meals — and meet the growing need for our services proactively.
Hope
Hope is the secret ingredient in all of our recipes and in every interaction with our stakeholders. It is how we provide an experience that is as transformative for our donors, volunteers, staff and clients as it is for our community.
