When Des Moines-area community leaders Jim Bruno and Marta Codina think about home, their hearts go straight to central Iowa. It’s where they met, raised their children, enhanced their careers, and chose to make a lasting difference.
With that in mind, the couple recently included WesleyLife Foundation in their estate plans, ensuring that the vital services provided by WesleyLife Meals on Wheels will continue to thrive for generations to come, right here in their community.
For retired small-business owner Jim, a sense of commitment to WesleyLife began behind the wheel. After retiring, Jim began volunteering with WesleyLife Meals on Wheels, and the experience quickly reshaped his understanding of both community need and connection.
"Good to see where the money goes"
“When you go and deliver the meals, you often are the only person a Meals on Wheels client will see that day,” Jim says. “Being in the trenches, so to speak, I felt compelled to do more. The clients I deliver to kind of feel like my extended family.
“It’s good to see where the money goes when someone donates to WesleyLife. I see it every time I deliver. And when I’m done with a route, the endorphins are just flowing. Everyone is so grateful. It makes me feel blessed that I have my health and am able to do this.”
Jim has watched WesleyLife Meals on Wheels grow, especially with the opening of a new campus near Drake University in Des Moines, and says he feels proud to see even more neighbors served with fresh, healthy, and hot meals each day.
A Shared Calling to Give Back
Marta, a philanthropist and retired executive as well, bolstered Jim’s “why.”
“Our desire to give really comes from Jim’s volunteering,” she says. “Neither one of us is from Des Moines, but this is our home. It’s where our kids are, and it’s where we want to leave our legacy. We want to make a difference here.”
As a respected community leader, Marta is guided by her personal mantra: “Make a difference and learn something new every day.” Together, Marta and Jim view their legacy gift as an extension of that philosophy — a way to sustain the compassion and connection they’ve witnessed through WesleyLife while consistently becoming aware of ways to further strengthen the greater community.
“The need is real, and with current concerns in the world, food insecurity is only going to become more widespread,” Marta says. “We can’t afford as a community for our most vulnerable residents to be worried about where their meals are going to come from.”
A Gift That Nourishes, Now and for the Future
Marta and Jim hope their story inspires others to consider how they might make an impact through WesleyLife Foundation.
“If someone is considering giving, I would urge them to spend some time volunteering,” Jim says. “They’ll see where the money goes and what a difference it makes.”
Marta adds that the Foundation’s efforts resonate deeply.
“Food insecurity, connection, and access to care are ongoing needs,” she says. “Helping to ease the burden on our friends and neighbors is simply the right thing to do.”
Through their generosity and example, Jim and Marta are ensuring that WesleyLife’s mission of compassion and community continues — one meal, one relationship, and one life-changing gift at a time.
Interested in creating your own legacy of compassion?
Learn more about planned giving opportunities through WesleyLife Foundation.