OPEN ARMS OF MINNESOTA INC
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Mission Statement
Open Arms provides a meal delivery service to 1900 homes annually, including some of the state’s most critically ill residents. This ensures that individuals who are suffering will get the food they need. The meals are intentionally planned and prepared to meet the nutritional requirements of individuals diagnosed with specific illnesses. For some clients, the simple task of preparing a meal for themselves becomes overwhelming. For others, the cost of nutritious foods, which are critical to their well-being, is out of reach. The vast majority of these clients are struggling to get by - 80% reported a household income of less than $20,000 annually. In 2014, Open Arms will distribute over 450,000 meals. These meals play a critical role in mitigating the stress and suffering of families coping with the physical and financial hardships of disease management. Open Arms is unique in that it also provides food for children of parents with chronic disease as well as fulltime caregivers.
About This Cause
ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION Mission: At Open Arms, we nourish mind, body and soul. Open Arms began as a single act of kindness in 1986 —founder, Bill Rowe, cooking a meal in his apartment and delivering it to a friend with HIV/AIDS. Almost three decades later, Open Arms of Minnesota delivers meals to more than 800 people who have a chronic or progressive illness each week. Open Arms and its stakeholders have realized that the need for these meals is ever-increasing and not limited to one disease. The need for healthy food is the same, whatever the medical diagnosis. Although Open Arms was originally founded to serve those living with HIV/AIDS, the organization has expanded to include meals for ALS, breast cancer and MS, as well as their caregivers and dependents. Open Arms is the only nonprofit organization in Minnesota that cooks and delivers free meals specifically tailored to meet the nutrition needs of these individuals, and Open Arms is also unique in that it provides meals for dependent children and fulltime caregivers of the chronically ill. Programs Open Arms ensures that individuals who are suffering from serious, life-threatening illnesses and their caregivers and dependants will get the food and nutrition they need. All of the meals are intentionally planned and prepared to meet the nutritional requirements of individuals diagnosed with specific illnesses. The goal is to provide clients with the correct balance of nutrients to promote healing, as well as provide satisfaction and comfort. For some clients, the simple task of preparing a meal for themselves or their families becomes overwhelming. For others, the cost of nutritious foods, which are critical to their well-being, is out of reach. Meals from Open Arms provide consistency in client households resulting in less stress and a higher overall quality of life. Food and Nutrition - Open Arms’ chefs and dietician work together to create a variety of menus full of healthy, delicious meals that meet the nutritional needs of clients. Staff and volunteers team up to deliver a week’s worth of frozen meals (including breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks) providing essential nutrition to clients and their families or caregivers at no charge. Open Arms also includes sustainably produced, local and organic ingredients when possible. As a part of its commitment to the low-income neighborhood it is based in, Open Arms provides local children with free nutritious meals during the summer. The Summer Children’s Meals Program ensures that children who rely on the National School Lunch program during the school year stay well-nourished over their summer break. Open Farms- As part of a broader effort to support a sustainable food production system, Open Arms established Open Farms to produce locally-grown vegetables and herbs for use in client meals. Open Farms operates a community garden in the West 7th Street neighborhood in St. Paul, which produced over $10,000 worth of vegetables, offsetting expenses. Not only does Open Farms provide fresh organic produce to Open Arms at a low cost, but it also serves as a platform to showcase sustainable food production to community members and to engage them in food justice issues through hands-on experiential learning. Education and Training - In 2010, Open Arms moved into a new facility in South Minneapolis, gaining a state-of-the-art kitchen and spacious conference rooms. This building increased Open Arms’ capacity considerably. For instance, in 2012, Open Arms invited teen groups from a local youth culinary arts program to its headquarters to teach them about farming and plant seedlings; taught groups of children from the Angel Foundation (an organization supporting adults living with cancer and their families) how to cook quick, nutritious meals for their ill family members; and hosted a documentary screening and panel discussion on the American food system. Open Arms’ staff also conducts community outreach to teach clients at partner organizations about healthy nutrition and meal preparation. In 2014, Open Arms is expanding this education program, which will offer nutrition and cooking classes for clients, past clients in recovery, their family members/caregivers and interested volunteers and community members. Open Arms will also encourage wider community participation in its mission by expanding its blog to feature guest entries from stakeholders across the food supply chain, transforming it into a broad platform for community discussion on issues surrounding healthy eating, food systems, food justice, and health and wellness. Open Arms will also collaborate with corporate and community partners to present onsite nutritional trainings and cooking classes. PURPOSE OF FUND REQUEST Open Arms believes that no one should go hungry or be forced to subsist on processed, chemical-filled meals that offer little more than empty calories. Resources donated to Open Arms will increase access to homemade, nutritious meals and quality nutritional education for the most vulnerable populations – promoting their healing and improving their quality of life. Eating well is a cornerstone to managing the symptoms of life-threatening diseases. While several types of medications need to be taken with nutritious food in order to take full effect, research also shows that well-nourished individuals are more likely to withstand the effects of serious illnesses, improve their immune status, delay the progression of their disease, and increase their chances for survival. Unfortunately, many individuals encounter financial and physical obstacles to accessing and preparing healthful meals that support their overall health. The majority (81%) of Open Arms’ Minnesota clients live below poverty level – in households that report an annual income of less than $20,000 per year – and many rely on public assistance to receive basic treatments and prescriptions. Most of Open Arms’ clients live in areas that could be considered “food deserts,” defined by the USDA as a neighborhood where a significant percentage of residents are low-income and who live without ready access to fresh, healthy and affordable food. Even when there are good sources of healthy foods nearby, lack of financial resources and immobility (caused by illness or age) prevent many clients from being able to access them. More than 30% of Open Arms’ clients are older adults, many of whom experience more social isolation than their younger counterparts – which can have devastating impacts on their mental and physical health. One study shows, for instance, that while many older Americans rely on family members during times of illness, older HIV-positive individuals perceive many barriers to receiving emotional and instrumental social support from friends and family. The social stigma associated with HIV/AIDS can limit caregivers' ability to access traditional social support networks and institutions of support.