Open Arms of Minnesota is a non-profit organization that cooks and delivers free, nutritious meals to people living with life-threatening illnesses in the Twin Cities. Originally operating out of a single location in Minneapolis, Open Arms embarked on opening a second location in St. Paul to better serve the eastern suburbs and grow their program.
The organization selected the Runway 52 building south of downtown St. Paul as their second location. The space is designed to nourish, body, mind and soul, pulling inspiration from Open Arms’ existing space and tying in community harvested “ingredients” to provide a functional, welcoming facility. The building is strategically designed to support Open Arms’ volunteer program, which annually involves over 7,500 people supporting the preparation and delivery of meals.
The project features a large volunteer area with welcoming reception and gathering space with lockers, coffee bar and seating. This area opens up to a new 6,000 sq. ft. commercial kitchen with cold food prep, hot food prep, washing, and dry storage zones, along with a walk-in freezer and chillers at the core of the space. The project also includes a dedicated open office area for employees with a break room shared with kitchen and office staff, as well as a board/training room, wellness room and collaboration spaces. All rooms are highlighted with Open Arms’ branding and vibrant colors.
The building was modified to create a dedicated, branded entrance, volunteer pick-up lane, new delivery door and truck drive.
To support Open Arms and learn more about their impact on the community, please visit their website linked here.