Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

Childhood Cancer Lantern
Search Saved

Open Arms of Minnesota

Core Medically Tailored Meal and Delivery Program · About this organization

What you get

Free meals for up to one additional household member, medically tailored meals, and weekly home delivery or pickup where available.

How to start

Fill in every section of the cancer core-program application.

Good to know

  • Cancer alone is insufficient; additional factors must affect cooking and shopping.
  • Meals cannot be promised allergen-free and must be accepted rather than left unattended.

The details, as published

B-ALL is in scope Open

Open Arms provides free medically tailored meals to Minnesota residents living with cancer who also have health or life factors that make cooking and shopping difficult. Meals may be delivered weekly in the Twin Cities area or picked up at published sites, and one additional household member may receive meals. A family submits the cancer-program application by mail, email, or fax and should expect an eligibility response within about two weeks.

Go to the official program ↗

What help you may get

Meals And Food

Core Medically Tailored Meal and Delivery Program — meals and food

Open Arms provides free medically tailored meals to Minnesota residents living with cancer who also have health or life factors that make cooking and shopping difficult. Meals may be delivered weekly in the Twin Cities area or picked up at published sites, and one additional household member may receive meals. A family submits the cancer-program application by mail, email, or fax and should expect an eligibility response within about two weeks.

Noncash help · Recurring

Can cover

  • Meals for up to one additional household member
  • Medically tailored meals
  • Weekly home delivery or pickup where available
  • The benefit is free in-kind meal service rather than cash.
  • Meals are generally provided weekly while enrolled; the public page does not publish an enrollment-duration limit.

Check the main eligibility rules

Diagnosis

B-ALL is in scope. Cancer is a published core-program diagnosis, so pediatric B-ALL is within the diagnosis scope; the additional cooking-and-shopping limitation must also be met.

Age

The program does not publish an age limit.

  • The official pages use diagnosis-based eligibility and do not publish a numerical age limit.

Treatment status

No specific treatment status is published.

  • The official page says income is not a qualifier for the core program.

Where you live and where your child is treated

Where your family lives

You must live in: Published Minneapolis, St. Paul, and satellite pickup locations; Twin Cities metro and surrounding suburbs.

  • The core program serves Minnesota residents.

Where your child is treated

Treatment must be connected to: Direct delivery is limited to the published delivery area; pickup and alternate-address options may be available outside it..

  • Direct delivery is limited to the published delivery area; pickup and alternate-address options may be available outside it.

How to get started

Get ready to apply

Does a social worker or care team need to start it? No. A required care-team start is not published; the family can use the available route below.

Who can start: Caregiver, Parent Or Guardian, Patient

  1. Complete every section of the cancer core-program application.
  2. Return the application by a method stated on the form.
  3. Wait for Open Arms to review eligibility and contact the family.

Ways to apply or ask

Documents to prepare

  • Completed cancer core-program application
  • Completed client sections
  • Completed provider medical-certification section

Availability and timing

ProgramActive
ApplicationsOpen
Funding or spaceNot Published
Application windowRolling
Last checkedAug 24, 2026
  • The official Get Meals page displayed the core program as open for referrals on the research date.
  • Open Arms says it will contact applicants within two weeks.

Limitations and things to confirm

  • Cancer alone is insufficient; additional factors must affect cooking and shopping.
  • Cancer in remission does not qualify under the current form.
  • Direct delivery depends on address and route; pickup or alternate-address options may be needed.
  • Meals cannot be guaranteed allergen-free and must be accepted rather than left unattended.
  • Three unexcused missed deliveries or pickups within six months ends service and creates three months of ineligibility.
  • Are translated applications available, beyond translated overviews and free interpreters?
  • Can an eligible child with active cancer outside the Twin Cities receive UPS shipment? Current official pages conflict.
  • How long may an eligible cancer client remain enrolled beyond required recertification?
  • Is recertification always annual or sometimes semiannual?

Official sources

Program details were last verified Aug 24, 2026. Availability can change, so check the official program before applying.

Official program