"I never dread Tuesdays," Karen Neely said, shaking her head. "Never."

Neely's affinity for the day derives from her work: Tuesdays are the days that she delivers for Meals on Wheels and More, a routine she's kept for the past eight years.

Sometimes she brings her 80-year-old mother on her route; sometimes her 3-year-old granddaughter, who likes to carry the cold meals to the door. Sometimes Neely stops to sing a song with one of her clients; sometimes to read Bible verses. But she always stops to talk, and over the years, she's built up quite a network of friends.

"The friendships that have grown are probably the most pleasantly surprising thing I've received from this [volunteer] experience ... it's like being part of a family," Neely said.

Always a strong advocate for helping the elderly, Neely became involved with Meals on Wheels and More when her youngest son went off to college. It was part of a pact she says she made with God to volunteer, crediting her faith with helping her meet the challenges of single motherhood.

Neely has found an unexpected reciprocity in the work she does for MOWAM. She often helps her clients access a resource or get an item that they need, but they help her, too, always asking about her family and being there to listen.

One of her clients, a minister, exemplifies this perfectly.

"If I ever have any concerns in my life, she immediately picks up on it," she said. "And she prays for me or I might leave her house with a new Bible verse. [The clients] give back to you like you give to them ... some seem more concerned about me and my family than they do about themselves. It's just amazing how they turn it around."

Like herself, Neely knows her clients appreciate their volunteers for far more than the meals they bring. When one of her clients passed away a few years ago, a disabled woman in her 40s, Neely received a letter from the woman's mother.

"Her mother wrote that our daily visits meant more to her daughter than anything else," Neely said. "Sometimes you don't realize the ripple effect of how much you do. And that is so rewarding."