Our Programs
Meal & Delivery Program
Open Arms’ core program is to prepare and deliver medically tailored meals to Minnesota residents and their families impacted by a life-threatening illness. Unlike food pantries, income is not a qualifier for our services, and our made-from-scratch, preservative-free meals that our clients choose from are tailored to specific illnesses. All of our food is cooked and prepared directly in our state-of-the-art kitchen, utilizing fresh, organic produce harvested from our Open Farms program whenever possible. Meals are delivered to clients’ homes once a week by volunteer delivery drivers, with additional meals provided for caregivers and dependent children if requested. All of our services are 100% free of charge to our clients. Start receiving meals.
Nutrition Services Program
Eating well while managing the complexities of a serious illness can be challenging. Open Arms strives to make good nutrition easy and convenient for our clients. Our team of registered dietitians and dietetic technicians work with our trained chefs to create tasty, modifiable menus that are medically tailored to specific illnesses, using fresh, healthy ingredients that contain the nutrients our clients need. Our dietitians also provide free-of-cost nutrition education and support directly to clients about diet, food, and nutrition, with a focus on individualized care. Learn about our medically tailored meals.
Volunteer Program
Open Arms is powered by a passionate, dedicated volunteer community that is integral to our operations and success. Every day, hundreds of volunteers help Open Arms prepare and package thousands of meals in our kitchens, grow and cultivate food at our five urban farm locations, and deliver thousands of meals each week to our clients. Whether they’ve been with us for a month or over 10 years, volunteers are the heart & soul of Open Arms and make everything we do possible. Sign up for a volunteer shift.
Open Farms Program
Launched in 2011, Open Farms is our urban garden program, which produces organic vegetables and herbs used throughout the year in client meals, CSAs, and special events. By turning vacant lots into vibrant gardens, we transform underutilized urban spaces into a home to grow healthy produce, employing organic methods and permaculture principles that work with nature, rather than against it. Through our Open Farms program, we engage volunteers and the community in agricultural issues while providing the best nourishment possible to our critically ill clients. Explore our Open Farms program.
Metro Meals On Wheels Partnership
Open Arms boasts a unique partnership with Metro Meals on Wheels. Our staff and volunteers produce thousands of meals every day, using our unique knowledge of healthy and delicious food to elevate the nutrition offered to disabled and homebound seniors in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Summer Meals Program
Our Summer Meals program, or Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), is a federally funded, state-administered program that provides nutritious meals during the summer to children at risk of going hungry when school is not in session. Every summer since 2011, we have partnered with Hunger Free America and local community centers like Little Earth Residents Association and East Phillips Park Cultural & Community Center to prepare and distribute more than two meals per day to these children, including fun nutrition handouts to all youth participants.
