July 9, 2025
By Nicola Philpott, as it appeared in Minnesota Veg Living Issue 11
I’ve always enjoyed cooking for other people. Nothing too fancy, just hearty, flavorful food with fresh ingredients. When I moved back to the Twin Cities in 2023, I looked for somewhere to cook, but without formal training my options were limited. Then I found Simpson Housing Services in Minneapolis. Simpson was looking for prep cooks to volunteer to help the chef prepare meals for shelter guests. Their website even mentions that prep cooks can contribute new recipe ideas to the menu. This seemed like a great opportunity to share some tasty plant-based food with hungry people.
Every day, Simpson Housing provides beds for 66 people experiencing homelessness. For 365 days a year, shelter guests have access to three daily meals. In coordination with Volunteer Engagement Manager, Aaron Ramos, some of these meals are purchased, prepared, and served by volunteer groups.
Teaming Up: The CAA Connection
If I was going to provide a whole meal, I needed to find some fellow vegans to help. I reached out to Abbey Feola, whom I met at the Compassionate Action for Animals’ (CAA) July 4th Potluck, and Jesse Johnson, a fellow volunteer, whom I met at CAA’s Twin Cities Plant-based bike crawl. Both were excited to give it a go with me!
With the backing of CAA Executive Director Laura Matanah and the CAA board, we started providing meals at Simpson Housing Services in January 2024. For over a year, CAA volunteers have gathered in the Simpson kitchen to prepare nutritious, tasty dishes. So far (as of January 2025) we’ve served over 500 plant-based meals on 18 different occasions, and the guests love our food! Particular favorites have included stir-frys, enchiladas, tater tot hot dishes, sloppy joes, veggie noodle casseroles, minestrone stew, and chili & cornbread. We also provide side dishes and often dessert, too. CAA has held fundraisers for our project, and donors have been enthusiastic to contribute.
Delighting Guests With Plant-Centric Meals
It’s important to me that the meals we prepare are plant-centric. I’m frequently trying new recipes and testing them out on my family. I share the cooking instructions for these meals with the volunteers. Then we meet in the kitchen and start cooking! It’s a fun community activity and the best part is that we get to eat a tasty meal with the shelter guests and connect with them.
Growing the Impact: Collaboration for Low-Carbon-Footprint Meals
Throughout 2024, the staff at Simpson really appreciated our consistency in providing a meal every month. In 2025, we’re doubling that to two meals a month (and more during the summer!). My goal this year has been to get other organizations involved. I’ve been contacting local environmental and climate groups to ask if they’d like to collaborate.
For those who partner with us, I plan the menus and get the food for a plant-based meal that’s low on the food chain and therefore has a small carbon footprint (For more information on the connection, see the article “The Hidden Cost of Dinner: How Our Food Choices Shape the Planet” on page 10 of Minnesota Veg Living Issue 11).
Our partners contribute toward the cost of ingredients, and their volunteers help prepare the meal. It’s a simple yet impactful way to make a difference in the lives of people experiencing homelessness. The more meals we cook, the more time, energy, and funds Simpson can devote to their mission of housing, supporting, and empowering people in our community.
Building Bridges Through Partnerships
CAA has already collaborated with several groups to serve low carbon, plant-based meals at Simpson Housing. These include Citizens’ Climate Lobby Minneapolis, the Climate & Environmental Justice group at Plymouth Congregational Church, and Citizens’ Climate Lobby West Suburbs. If you’re a member of a group that would like to help provide a vegan meal to people experiencing homelessness in Minneapolis, please email me (nicola.philpott@exploreveg.org).
Join Us: Be Part of the Change
Working with volunteers from CAA and other organizations to prepare delicious, healthy plant-based meals at Simpson is one of my favorite CAA activities. You can participate too, by signing up to volunteer at https://caa.mn/volunteer/. If you’d like to make a donation toward our plant-based meal program, you can do so at www.givemn.org/story/6lr05f.
There’s something special about gathering with other people and cooking a meal together. I’m very grateful to Simpson Housing Services for allowing us to share this food with our Minneapolis community. Thanks also to everyone at CAA for their unwavering enthusiasm and support for our plant-based meal program.
Note from CAA: This meal program is so popular with volunteers that you usually have to sign up several months in advance to snag a slot. Check out this page for the full listing of future meal service opportunities or go to our event page where you can find out details about specific upcoming meal occasions.
Nicola’s Bio
Nicola Philpott, PhD, coordinates the Simpson plant-based meal program for Compassionate Action for Animals. She also organizes vegan potlucks in Minnetonka with CAA. Nicola is a passionate climate activist and co-leads the Minnesota West Suburbs chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby. She cites that going vegan has been the easiest, cheapest, and one of the most effective climate actions she has ever taken.
