78 | FRONTDOORS MAGAZINE home kitchen, she leased a space and opened The Joy Bus Diner in Phoenix in 2016. The diner’s proceeds helped fund the nonprofit’s mission. But even that space became too small. In March 2025, the diner moved to a larger location to accommodate a massive expansion of its core program. “The diner gives us a platform for people to learn about The Joy Bus and create a community,” Caraway said. “Unfortunately, everyone has a connection to cancer, which draws people to our mission.” From the beginning, The Joy Bus has had incredible support from local farmers and the culinary community, as well as foundations like Thunderbirds Charities, Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, the Kemper and Ethel Marley Foundation and many others. The Joy Bus’s new partnership with Dignity Health and Mercy Care will allow the program to expand from delivering 250 meals per week to over 2,500 meals per week. The Joy Bus has long been a member of the Food is Medicine Coalition, a national group of nonprofits providing meals tailored to the needs of people with severe illnesses. This model is now being embraced by major healthcare providers. “Now Dignity Health and Mercy Care are joining healthcare providers across the nation in saying they see value in keeping patients out of the hospital,” Caraway said. She explains that proper care includes healthful food and wellness checks from volunteers, which can ease feelings of isolation and depression. Through her work with the Food is Medicine Coalition, Caraway is working with healthcare providers, farmers and other food-focused nonprofits to push for legislation to be able to bill Medicaid and healthcare providers for Joy Bus and other nonprofits’ services. “This would help so many nonprofits provide medically tailored meals and groceries to those who need them, allowing all of us to be more sustainable,” Caraway said. “When I started The Joy Bus, I just wanted to make good food and give it to people who needed it. By working with the Food is Medicine Coalition to create medically tailored meals for cancer patients, meals don’t just taste good, the components are verified by a registered dietitian to make sure they are helping someone.” To learn more, visit joybus.org . KITCHEN DOORS The Joy Bus is making the Valley a tastier, happier place, one meal at a time. Joy Bus volunteers deliver meals — and a generous helping of warmth.

FRONTDOORS MAGAZINE | 79 MITCH MENCHACA Director of the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture H I S T A K E “Last May, I attended the American Alliance of Museums’ Annual Meeting and MuseumExpo in Los Angeles. I visited the Los Angeles Public Library’s Central Library to see its exhibition called ‘No Prior Art,’ which showcased a wide variety of stories at the intersection of art and invention. The exhibit also featured recreations from the book ‘Prisoners’ Inventions’ — inventions by inmates from several men’s prisons throughout California, viewed through the eyes of an incarcerated man named Angelo. He documented the inventions he saw, used or heard about from other inmates, which helped them with daily necessities and hobbies — such as a chess set made of soap, a ballpoint pen organizer crafted from a toothpaste box, a picture frame made of gum wrappers, and extra shelving and storage built from cardboard. The few recreations on display piqued my interest in the other inventions in the book, which I found in the library’s gift shop. It offers renderings and backstory for nearly 100 inventions created by these men. It also shares more of Angelo’s story, including that he was an avid reader who got a library card upon his release.” Learn more about the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture at phoenix.gov/arts . RECOMMENDS “Prisoners’ Inventions” by Angelo and Temporary Services BOOKMARKED