jcameron

So last night marked the first hours of volunteering I have completed for this semester!!! After all the frustration with Children's Hospital and everything, I am extremely glad to finally have a place to go each week. After the orientation I am feeling confident that I will really enjoy my time at Open Arms. I am a little bummed I don't have a car here so I will not be able to make deliveries and have direct contact, but I will most likely be working in the kitchen and prepping the food for the clients. At the Orientation we went over the goals, history and mission statement the Open Arms organization. Their mission is "with open arms we nourish body, mind and soul" and their visions is "we see a world of abundance where people won't go hungry." I think the ambitions of the people at Open Arms are so wonderful and they are so passionate about what they do. We were able to take a tour of the building where all the magic happens and meet many of the staff members that I will be working with once I officially start.

I think the story about the history of Open Arms and how it started was one of the interesting things I heard at the orientation. Bill Rowe, the founder of Open Arms, decided to cook some meals for some of is neighbors who were not able to get food from the dining center for the AIDS community. He did this out of his own home kitchen for over and year before Open Arms moved to a Church Basement. About 10 years later, Open Arms bought it's own building where it still is today. It's crazy how one person's little idea 20 years ago is helping hundreds of people in the twin cities as well as all of the people who are able to take advantage of the community center in Africa.