A new documentary, “Meals That Matter,” is an official selection of the 2026 Phoenix Film Festival. The short documentary focuses on The Joy Bus, a Phoenix-based nonprofit that delivers free, fresh and medically tailored meals to individuals navigating cancer.
Jennifer Caraway, Founder and CEO of the Joy Bus, and Stjepan Alaupovic, the filmmaker of “Meals That Matter,” joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss the program and documentary.
“We’ve been in the Valley for over 16 years now,” Caraway said. “We have about 200 and something volunteers who show up every week and pick up the meals and take them to the clients’ homes.”
The Joy Bus has delivered over 27,000 meals across the Valley in 2025 alone, as they have seen a 181% increase year over year. Caraway added, “We include the caregiver as well. And the family and children [of the patient] if they need meals.”
The 21-minute film explores the experiences of Valley residents receiving meals during their treatment and highlights how nutrition can be an extension of care beyond the clinic.
“The goal was never to make a film about cancer but to make a film about care and what that looks like in an uncertain period of someone’s life,” Alaupovic said.
“For me, one of the things that came out was watching the meal process unfold,” Alaupovic said in regards to the kind of care he was hoping to show. “Everything is done with intention. From the kitchen prep-line to the volunteers coming in to the recipients receiving the meals.”
The official screening times are Saturday, April 11 and Saturday, April 18, 2026, from 11:25 a.m. to 12:50 p.m., and Tuesday, April 14, 2026, from 6:55 p.m. to 8:20 p.m at Harkins Scottsdale 101.
