Who Benefits
Proceeds from the 2010 Breast Cancer Ride will benefit Open Arms of Minnesota and Susan G. Komen For the Cure® Minnesota Affiliate. We are thrilled to have both of these beneficiaries involved in the Ride.
About Open Arms of Minnesota
About Susan G. Komen for the Cure Minnesota Affiliate
About breast cancer
Open Arms of Minnesota
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Open Arms of Minnesota is the only service provider in the Twin Cities that delivers nutritious meals to people living with breast cancer, HIV/AIDS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease), and multiple sclerosis (MS). Proceeds from the Breast Cancer Ride will help support the breast cancer meal delivery program that delivers free, nutritious meals to the women and men affected with breast cancer, including their caregivers and dependent children.
Unlike a food shelf, or traditional meals-on-wheels programs, Open Arms prepares its own food, specifically tailored to the health needs of its clients, and its kitchen operates seven days a week. A full-time Food Services Director and a part-time Registered Dietitian (RD) create menus that provide a minimum of 6,250 calories weekly and between 50-75 percent of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of vitamins and minerals. Other programs have waiting lists something Open Arms has never had in its two-decade history - and they encourage a fee for service, which would be impossible for the majority of the Open Arms’ clients to pay. There is no charge for any of Open Arms’ services.
In 2006, Open Arms staff and volunteers prepared and delivered a record-breaking 138,500 meals a 24 percent increase in service from 2005. In June, Open Arms celebrated the milestone of delivering the one-millionth meal in its 20-year history. The most significant enhancements in Open Arms’ home delivery meal service in 2006 resulted from the thoughtful planning to expand service to people living with illnesses other than HIV/AIDS.
As Open Arms began working with breast cancer clients in 2004 and 2005, staff quickly learned its existing menus would need to be modified to meet the needs and tolerances of women undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatments. Surveys revealed they have a greater need for bland foods, starches, proteins, fruits and soups. The kitchen developed a Mild Diet, which includes milder smells and flavors that are more appealing to those who struggle to eat due to nausea, and Nausea Care Packs consisting of comfort foods such as crackers, ginger ale and fresh fruit for clients undergoing radiation and chemotherapy.
We know from the phone calls we receive and from conversations with breast cancer survivors, that there are women in this community who need the services of Open Arms. Women undergoing treatment for breast cancer have told Open Arms that they could benefit from nutritionally-appropriate, ready-to-eat meals delivered to their homes, free of charge, for themselves and their families for myriad reasons, including:
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They are simply too ill or exhausted to shop for groceries and to prepare meals for themselves and their families.
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They lack a support system to help them. They don’t have a partner or a caregiver and their children are too young to assume household responsibilities.
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The smell of food cooking in their homes makes them nauseous. Many women have told us that they find it easier to eat if prepared meals are brought into the home, rather than cooked in their kitchens.
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They lack the financial resources to purchase groceries. As is so often the case with our most vulnerable families, an illness that results in a parent losing work can easily throw the family into a financial crisis.
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Most traditional Meals-On-Wheels programs are hunger-based organizations for seniors, not nutrition-based agencies with a mission to serve people who are ill. Many of these organizations cannot individualize meals to the specific needs of their clients. In addition, these programs encourage a fee for service which is often impossible for women to pay.
Proceeds from the Breast Cancer Ride will not only support the existing needs of the current breast cancer program but will allow Open Arms to accept additional clients dealing with breast cancer. They believe that no one in our community should go hungry during this difficult and challenging time.
Read an invitation from Kevin Winge, Executive Director of Open Arms. To learn more about Open Arms contact them at 612-872-1152 or visit their web site.
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Susan G. Komen for the Cure Minnesota Affiliate—along with those who generously support them with their talent, time, and resources—is working to better the lives of those facing breast cancer in our community. They join more than 100,000 breast cancer survivors and activists around the globe as part of the world’s largest and most progressive grassroots network fighting breast cancer.
Through events like the Susan G. Komen Twin Cities Race for the Cure, they have invested over $25 million in local breast health and breast cancer awareness projects in the state of Minnesota. Up to 75 percent of net proceeds generated by the Komen Minnesota Affiliate stay in the state of Minnesota. The remaining income goes to the national Susan G. Komen for the Cure Grants Program for energizing science to find the cures.
Join them by calling 952-746-1760 or visiting their web site.