Open Arms Aounnces Public Phase of Capital Campaign For New St. Paul Kitchen and Campus
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Ethan Armstrong
[email protected]
Cell: 320-815-2351
Direct: 612-540-7762
MINNEAPOLIS, MN (June 9, 2022) — Open Arms of Minnesota is pleased to announce the public phase of its capital campaign entitled “Opening Our Arms Wider to Nourish Our Neighbors” aimed at increasing the organization’s ability to nourish critically ill Minnesotans and their families in need. The campaign will help expand the capacity of Open Arms’ current facility in Minneapolis, strengthen client and volunteer services, and serve more clients with the renovation of a new facility in St. Paul.
“As a resident of St. Paul, I am excited and extremely proud to have the second Open Arms kitchen right here at home,” said Lisa Lane, Senior Campaign and Policy Director. “Although we have been serving St. Paul and East Metro for our entire existence, it will be great to have a home in St. Paul, where clients and volunteers can meet and work alongside our dedicated staff in a brand new, state-of-the-art space.”
The new St. Paul Kitchen & Campus, located in the Runway 52 building on the west side of St. Paul, will allow Open Arms to expand its message of love, hope, and wellness to a rapidly growing list of Minnesotans facing life-threatening illnesses, who are in urgent need of services. The Opening Our Arms Wider campaign includes three key objectives: 1. Capacity Increases, 2. Client and Volunteer Growth, and 3. Expansion to the East Metro. To date, Open Arms has raised over $4 million, more than 70 percent of its $6.8 million capital campaign goal.
The campaign was given an early boost by lead institutional gifts from CH Robinson and the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation. The Schulze Family Foundation additionally agreed to match new campaign donations dollar for dollar up to $300,000.
Other lead donors to the campaign include 3M, Andersen Windows Foundation, Anna Helmaier Foundation, Bigelow Foundation, Cresa, Fred C. and Katherine B. Andersen Foundation, HRK Foundation, Hubbard Foundation, Hugh J. Andersen Foundation, Invictus Brewing, Julia Kaemmer Fund of HRK Foundation, KSTP/Twin Cities Live, Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, Meals on Wheels America, Nancy Somers Family Foundation, Otto Bremer Trust, Securian Foundation, Silver Lake Methodist Church, State of Minnesota, and Trellis.
“It is truly awe inspiring to see how these foundations, corporations, and so many individuals have stepped up, in very significant ways, to support our clients and our mission,” commented Lane. “Their support reaffirms that our service is critical to our clients and what we do changes lives. We simply could not do this without their very generous support in laying the groundwork and a strong foundation for the next chapter of nourishing our neighbors.”
Open Arms officially began construction on the St. Paul Kitchen & Campus in January of 2022, which spans more than 17,000 square feet. The new facility will include a volunteer lounge, in-person client meeting room, staff offices and workspaces, private meeting spaces, a shipping and distribution room, a freezer capable of holding 60,000 meals, three blast freezers, and a state-of-the-art kitchen with a hot and cold cooking lines. The St. Paul Kitchen & Campus is set to officially begin operations in October of 2022.
For more information about the Opening Our Arms Wider to Nourish Our Neighbors campaign, please visit the campaign website HERE or contact Lisa Lane, Senior Campaign and Policy Director, at [email protected]/612-860-8085.
###
Open Arms of Minnesota is a nonprofit organization that prepares and delivers nourishing meals free of charge to critically ill Minnesotans and their families. By providing food as medicine, Open Arms nourishes its clients and builds community.
