Some local residents who depend on Meals on Wheels can count on Kim Mason to show up at their door on a regular basis with hot food and a friendly smile.

The Fort Dodge woman insists that making the deliveries benefits her as much as the people receiving the food.

“It brings both parties joy,” she said.

Mason runs a functional medicine health practice that partners with the Active Health Clinic in Fort Dodge. She and her husband, Dr. Josh Mason, also own Anytime Fitness in Fort Dodge. While her professional life and family keep her busy, she makes an effort to get involved in other ways.

That is essential, she said, if a person wants to truly be a part of the community in which they live.

“If you don’t get involved in the community, you don’t feel that connection,” Mason said.

Doing so has the added benefit of being a lot of fun, she said.

“Being involved in the community is where the fun is,” she added.

Volunteering with Meals on Wheels gets her out into the community literally.

Mason doesn’t deliver meals every day. There is a rotating schedule so that the volunteers don’t get overwhelmed. When her turn comes up on that schedule, she delivers nine to 14 meals. She said she has the same route, delivering to the same people. It takes about 45 minutes.

The daily food delivery is an important human connection for the people getting the meal, because they are often alone.

“You get a lot of smiles,” she said.

She added that the food delivery is a daily wellness check for the recipients.

While her children were students at Duncombe Elementary School, she was a member of the Duncombe Booster Club. She considers that to be some of the most rewarding volunteer work she has done.

“It definitely allowed me to connect with my kids’ teachers,” she said. “It just really made me feel much more involved in my kids’ education.”

The annual carnival called Duncombe Fun Night is the most high profile activity of the Booster Club, and Mason put in some time helping with that. But she also volunteered to work with kids during the school day.

Since all of her children are now out of elementary school, Mason is no longer a member of the Duncombe Booster Club. She is, however, a member of the Study Club.

While the group’s name suggests hitting the books to prepare for a test, Mason said it is actually a philanthropic group of women that conducts one big fundraiser a year. The proceeds from that fundraiser are then donated to a group or effort selected by the club members.

She offers this advice to anyone who wants to feel more connected to their community: “Keep asking questions, keep looking until you find what makes you light up. Everyone needs to find their own people connection, and volunteering is the greatest way of doing that.”