In November, the Service Project Committee announced that the large grant awards had been given out to a variety of organizations which were all sponsored by MVWC members. The next organization to receive a grant was The Joy Bus, originally sponsored by Karen Zanzucchi.
The Joy Bus is a nonprofit organization whose sole purpose is to relieve the daily struggles of people with cancer by delivering a fresh and healthy meal with a friendly face. Fighting cancer is hard enough, but imagine not having any family or friends nearby to support you. That’s the impetus behind The Joy Bus.
Founded in 2011 by award-winning chef, Jennifer Caraway. The Joy Bus was named in honor of her dear friend Joy. Joy struggled with the painful and debilitating side effects of ovarian cancer to which she ultimately succumbed.
Jennifer started by dropping off home-cooked dinners and chatting with local cancer patients in need of a little good cheer. Over time it expanded into a Valley-wide non-profit organization named the Joy Bus, which collects and cooks donated fresh, local food for volunteers (who are often cancer survivors themselves) to deliver to patients around the Valley.
As the charity grew, Jennifer reached out to friends she’d worked with in the restaurant industry and asked to use their commercial kitchens. In 2016, the organization was cooking so many meals that it opened its own commercial kitchen. That’s when Jennifer came up with the idea for The Joy Bus Diner.
The Diner serves breakfast and lunch to the public and is 100% non-profit. Every dollar of revenue is generated back into the charity’s meal delivery program. The chefs not only cook for the customers, but they also prepare the meals for the patients.
Every Wednesday and Thursdays, volunteers pick up the restaurant’s fresh, hot meals and deliver them directly to the patients. The food comes packed in a decorated bag, and an insert lists how the ingredients aid in healing while helping to fight cancer. Currently The Joy Bus delivers 115 healthy meals to cancer patients weekly!
The Diner serves hearty, made-to-order breakfast and lunch fare every Thursday – Sunday from 7am – 2pm. Their address is 3375 E Shea Blvd. It’s a cute little diner and the food is delicious!
Thank you Moon Valley Women’s Club so much for your gracious grant to The Joy Bus! It is a heart- breaking reality that cancer touches us all in some way, either through a personal diagnosis or that of a loved one, family member, or friend. The Joy Bus understands the unique needs of people with cancer and we have tailored our program to relieve these struggles. Through the support of your Club and our community, we are able to help by providing healthy meals and weekly personal and nutritional sup- port at no cost to the patients that we serve.
