Help Provide Healthy Food to Minnesotans in Need

Help prepare nourishing meals for critically ill individuals by joining AARP Minnesota and the nonprofit Open Arms of Minnesota for a volunteer event in St. Paul this month.

Open Arms prepares and delivers free tailored meals to the homes of Minnesotans who are too sick to shop or cook. Recipients with life-threatening diseases such as cancer may live alone or lack a support network of friends and family.

Registered dietitians, in-house chefs and volunteers make high-quality, made-from-scratch food using freshly picked, organic ingredients from Open Arms’ urban farm sites whenever possible.

AARP members and guests are invited to volunteer as part of a group on Thursday, April 20, from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at Open Arms’ St. Paul kitchen, 380 E. Lafayette Frontage Road.

Volunteers will prepare, portion and package food. Culinary skills are not required.

In 2021, 6,600 Open Arms volunteers prepared and delivered nearly 800,000 meals to more than 3,700 clients, caregivers and dependents.

Register for the event at aarp.org/MNevents. To learn more about Open Arms, go to openarmsmn.org. Find other volunteer opportunities near you at createthegood.aarp.org.

—Mary Van Beusekom