Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.
Support organization
Open Arms of Minnesota prepares and delivers medically tailored meals for Minnesota residents living with serious illness, including active cancer, when health or life factors make shopping, cooking, or maintaining nutrition difficult. A pediatric cancer client needs provider certification, and the current form says remission alone does not qualify; income is collected but is not an eligibility test. An enrolled client may receive about 12–14 meals per week, meals for one additional household member, one-on-one nutrition coaching, nausea relief packs, a birthday cake, and a seasonal November meal. Twin Cities delivery and published pickup sites are clear, but current official pages conflict about statewide UPS shipment for cancer clients. Open Arms also maintains current cancer, grief, remission, transportation, wig, nutrition, and community resource guides for families.
Nourishes people living with life-threatening illness through medically tailored food, nutrition support, and community connection.
Minnesota nonprofit providing free medically tailored meals, nutrition support, practical add-ons, and resource navigation for people with serious illness.
A birthday cake for enrolled meal clients. Cake and allergy options are not published. Ask.
Helps with: Practical Items And Home Help, Wishes And Family Experiences
Where: Local rules apply
Care team must start: No
A possible $100 quarterly stipend plus travel reimbursement for client-advisory meetings, up to $400 a year in stipends.
Helps with: Navigation Guides And Advocacy, Peer And Emotional Support
Where: Local rules apply
Care team must start: No
Nutrition coaching about meals, treatment symptoms, food resources, and follow-up by phone, video, or in person.
Helps with: Navigation Guides And Advocacy
Where: Local rules apply
Care team must start: No
A virtual food-learning and social gathering.
Helps with: Peer And Emotional Support, School And Learning, Wishes And Family Experiences
Where: Local rules apply
Care team must start: No
Free meals for up to one additional household member, medically tailored meals, and weekly home delivery or pickup where available.
Helps with: Meals And Food
Where: MN
Care team must start: No
A nausea-relief pack added to your meal delivery. The contents and quantities are not published. Ask.
Helps with: Meals And Food, Practical Items And Home Help
Where: MN
Care team must start: No
A Thanksgiving-season meal with turkey, stuffing, and holiday sides for enrolled meal clients.
Helps with: Meals And Food, Wishes And Family Experiences
Where: MN
Care team must start: No
Guide · Patient Support Material
This May 2026 fact sheet explicitly includes leukemia and explains nutrition during cancer treatment and recovery, with practical ideas for nausea, vomiting, appetite loss, mouth sores, fatigue, bland or soft foods, higher-calorie intake, Open Arms menu choices, nausea-pack access, dietitian contact, and outside resources.
Topics: leukemia, meal ideas, nausea relief, nutrition during treatment, side effects
Guide · Resource Directory
The March 2026 guide directs families to cancer education, survivorship, emotional and peer support, legal and financial help, clinical-trial navigation, home cleaning, and nutrition resources. Outside programs are discovery leads and require verification from their own official sources.
Topics: cancer education, clinical trials, home help, legal and financial help, nutrition, peer support
Resource Directory
This broad public navigator covers caregiving, food, mental health, utilities, transportation, housing, and diagnosis-specific organizations, with national, statewide, and city sections for Duluth, Moorhead, Mankato, Rochester, St. Cloud, Stillwater, and the Twin Cities. Its many outside listings are discovery leads only and may change.
Topics: caregiving, food, housing, local resources, mental health, transportation, utilities
Educational Toolkit · Video
This durable three-video series covers dietary side effects of cancer treatment, healthy eating and nutrition recommendations, and preparing inexpensive healthy meals. The 2023 recordings remain publicly available even though the live webinar cycle is past.
Topics: budget meal preparation, cancer treatment side effects, healthy eating
Guide · Resource Directory
The July 2026 guide points families to a mental-health warmline, grief services for adults and children, child, sibling, and parent-loss programs, counseling, extended bereavement support, and funeral or burial assistance. Open Arms curates the directory but does not operate each linked service.
Topics: child loss, counseling, funeral assistance, grief, sibling loss
Guide · Resource Directory
This March 2026 directory identifies free or low-barrier wig and head-covering programs, including shipped wigs, Minnesota application options, consultations, and resources for medical hair loss. Each listed provider's current eligibility and availability must be confirmed separately.
Topics: appearance support, head coverings, medical hair loss, wigs
Guide · Resource Directory
The July 2026 guide collects survivorship clinics and care plans, peer support, food navigation, and legal or financial resources in Minnesota and western Wisconsin. It is especially relevant after the core meal program's current cancer form no longer accepts remission alone as a qualifying diagnosis.
Topics: care plans, food navigation, legal and financial support, remission, survivorship
Guide · Resource Directory
The March 2026 guide lists Metro Mobility, reduced-fare transit, Medicaid and private-pay non-emergency medical transportation, accessible rides, statewide and regional providers, and the American Cancer Society Road to Recovery. Open Arms is the curator, not the operator of the listed ride programs.
Topics: accessible rides, medical transportation, public transit, reduced fares
Organization details were last verified Aug 24, 2026. Program availability can change.
