Author Archives: Heather Goldfarb

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 October 20 2023 

PNC Bank Arts Center Fundraiser

This summer, JBJ Soul Kitchen was granted the wonderful opportunity to host a mission booth at PNC Bank Arts Center. Our staff and volunteers were able to educate and spread awareness about our mission in fighting food insecurity. The summer raffle included various prizes, such as JBJ Soul Kitchen merchandise. All who donated were entered to win the prized guitar signed by our Board Chairman, Jon Bon Jovi.

Thank you to everyone who visited our booth to learn more about our mission, and donated to enter our raffle. Your participation helps to further our mission in the fight against food insecurity within our community.

A very special thank you goes out to the PNC Bank Arts Center for their incredible support, which included a generously donated space for our booth as well as many concert tickets, which our team was able to raffle off to many lucky winners. We also want to express our appreciation to our team at JBJ Soul Kitchen, along with the many committed volunteers who joined us at each concert. Your dedication and hard work were instrumental in turning this fundraiser into a success.

We are thrilled to announce the winner of the autographed Jon Bon Jovi guitar – congratulations to Jessica T. on winning this prize!

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 October 7 2023 

8th Annual Chili Cookoff at JBJ Soul Kitchen Toms River

TOMS RIVER, NJ – On Saturday, October 7th, JBJ Soul Kitchen Toms River hosted their 8th Annual Chili Cookoff, a heartfelt tribute to the service of first responders across New Jersey. Presented by Vydia, this fundraising event brought together the community to not only celebrate first responders but also to support JBJ Soul Kitchen’s mission of addressing food insecurity.

New Jersey first responders from fire departments, EMS, police, and First Aid Squads showcased their chili recipes. Attendees sampled the chili entries and cast their votes for their favorites.

Congratulations to the 8th Annual Chili Cookoff champions!

1st Place: Union Beach Police Department

2nd Place: Rutgers University Police Department

3rd Place: Newark Fire Department

Best Table: Rutgers University Police Department

Best Dressed: Toms River Police Department

Guitar Raffle: Barbra F.

50/50 Winner: Joanne W.

The event featured JBJ Soul Kitchen appetizers, including various smoked meats flavored with our JBJ Soul Seasoning. The day was filled with exciting and fun activities for all! Thanks to our community partners—Fulfill People’s Pantry, Applaud Our Kids, NJ singer/songwriter Michael Rainone, and Empty Bowls—for their awesome support and contributions to the event.

Fulfill People’s Pantry collected enough food and funds to provide almost 1,900 meals to our neighbors in need.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the success of our 8th Annual Chili Cookoff—participants, attendees, staff, volunteers, partners, and a special thank you to our Presenting Sponsor, Vydia! This event means so much to us, as we celebrate and acknowledge the dedicated service of first responders throughout New Jersey.

As a crucial part of the ongoing mission of the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, events like these play a vital role in breaking the cycle of hunger, poverty and homelessness in our community.

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 August 8 2023 

JBJ Soul Foundation celebrates the Grand Opening of Inn of Amazing Mercy

Project HOME Achieves 1,000 Units of Supportive Housing in Philadelphia with Grand Opening of Inn of Amazing Mercy in Kensington on Thursday, Aug. 3

Newest residence at 115 E. Huntingdon Street amplifies Project HOME’s focus on the opioid epidemic as a major root cause of homelessness in Philadelphia and beyond

PHILADELPHIA, PA – August 3, 2023 – Project HOME today announced the grand opening of Inn of Amazing Mercy, the organization’s 20th supportive, affordable housing residence. Located at 115 E. Huntington Street, Inn of Amazing Mercy is Project HOME’s second recovery residence in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, adding to its housing, services, and resources focused on treatment and support for individuals experiencing homelessness and battling substance use disorder. With the opening of Inn of Amazing Mercy, Project HOME has now exceeded the creation of 1,000 units of affordable housing across Philadelphia.

“We’ve long recognized that in order to end and prevent homelessness in Philadelphia, we must directly address the root causes of this crisis, which for many unsheltered individuals includes substance use disorder,” said Sister Mary Scullion, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Project HOME. “The opening of Inn of Amazing Mercy in the heart of Kensington advances our work providing housing, healing, and hope on the front lines of the opioid epidemic. The fact that this residence marks our goal of building 1,000 units of permanent, supportive housing makes it especially meaningful, and we’re grateful to Ward and Kathy Fitzgerald and so many other visionaries for their generosity and commitment.”

Elevating a National Model for Street Medicine

The opening of Inn of Amazing Mercy enhances Project HOME’s nationally recognized Epstein Street Medicine Program by serving as a hub for the program’s groundbreaking work. With a deep understanding of the population experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia, three nurse practitioners and one registered nurse travel with Project HOME’s Street Outreach Team across the city, with a current focus on individuals living unsheltered in Kensington. Meeting and treating individuals where they are, the team delivers holistic, person-centered, and trauma-informed care through a harm-reduction lens, aiming to improve medical outcomes and enhance access to healthcare and support services. The program has emerged as a national model for combatting substance use disorder, among other health conditions, for those experiencing homelessness.

The opening of Inn of Amazing Mercy also follows the recent launch of the Estadt-Lubert Collaborative for Housing and Recovery, a groundbreaking partnership between Project HOME, Jefferson Health, Penn Medicine, and Temple Health that is changing the way the opioid epidemic is addressed for individuals experiencing homelessness. The Collaborative advances a comprehensive “healing ecosystem” comprised of integrated healthcare, employment and social wellness services, and permanent supportive housing, including at Inn of Amazing Mercy. The opening of the residence brings the Collaborative one step closer to achieving its goal of transforming the care of those who are unsheltered and suffering from substance use disorder.

About Inn of Amazing Mercy

Inn of Amazing Mercy contains 62 units of affordable housing — 50 units of long-term supportive housing and short-term housing and supplementary services for up to 12 persons with substance use disorder in 4 efficiency units and 8 respite beds. Residents are provided medication-assisted treatment through Project HOME’s Healthcare Services team, in addition to case management and peer support. Residents are also connected to employment and education services, including assistance with certifications, computer training, on-the-job coaching, skill development, and support needed for ongoing housing stability.

“When society encounters challenges, it takes the courage of the public and private sectors to become catalysts for change, and the team at Project HOME have proven to be that change agent in Philadelphia,” said Ward and Kathy Fitzgerald, philanthropists and lead donors of the new Inn of Amazing Mercy. “We are thrilled to join the other tremendous families that have supported Project HOME through the years in the Philadelphia area and feel fortunate to be specifically supporting this powerful project located in Kensington, which has the unfortunate distinction of being the epicenter of the opioid epidemic in the United States. With the Kensington section of the city continuing to draw national attention around this crisis, Inn of Amazing Mercy could be among the most critical seeds ever planted. The time has come for greater private involvement and the public sector at the State and Federal level, and we hope today’s grand opening helps to encourage this. We are humbled to be a small participant in the noble work the members of Project HOME perform every day.

”Inn of Amazing Mercy is the ninth project of MPOWER, a unique partnership model drawing on a powerful network of people and ideas that multiplies Project HOME’s impact in five key areas: investments, relationships, resources, advocacy, and evidence. The $27 million residence has been made possible in part by $14 million in private funding, contributed by over 20 donors. This includes leadership gifts made by Leigh and John Middleton and Pam Estadt and Ira Lubert, along with a portion of a $6.8 million gift recently made by the William Penn Foundation and capital gifts made by the Hess Foundation, the Maguire family, and the JBJ Soul Foundation.

“We’re thrilled and so proud to once again lend our support and vision to Project HOME’s ongoing mission with Inn of Amazing Mercy,” said Jon Bon Jovi, chairman of JBJ Soul Foundation. “On behalf of the entire JBJ Soul Foundation organization, I’d like to congratulate Project HOME on achieving its goal of 1,000 units of housing and continued efforts to tackle the root causes of homelessness and poverty.”

“With the opening of Inn of Amazing Mercy and our 1,000th unit of affordable housing, I’m proud of the progress we’ve made as an organization and the continued generosity of our growing community of MPOWER partners,” said Annette Jeffrey, Senior Vice President of Development and Communications at Project HOME. “When we talk about MPOWER, we talk about ‘The Power of We,’ and Inn of Amazing Mercy is yet another product of the supercharged support engine MPOWER has become through the collective partnership of so many like Ward and Kathy Fitzgerald who believe in a better tomorrow for Philadelphia.”

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 June 12 2023 

6th Annual Mulligan for Meals Golf Outing

On June 12, 2023, we hosted our 6th Annual Mulligans For Meals Golf Outing at Hominy Hill Golf Course. This event aims to support the missions of alleviating hunger at JBJ Soul Kitchen and supporting our locations in Red Bank and Toms River, NJ.

Thank you to our presenting sponsors, The Highlawn and Nini & Deluca, as well as all of our other wonderful sponsors and golfers who made this day so special!

JBJ Soul Kitchen strives to provide healthy, locally sourced food in a restaurant setting to both in-need and paying customers, addressing issues of food insecurity. We empower individuals by offering resources and volunteer opportunities, encouraging paying customers to pay it forward and cover the cost for those in need. Our commitment is to treat all our customers with dignity and respect, fostering unity in communities and building healthy, lasting relationships through food.

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 January 13 2023 

Kohl’s Donates $30,000 to JBJ Soul Kitchen Through A Community with Heart Program

The JBJ Soul Foundation is proud to share that our program, JBJ Soul Kitchen, has once again been selected to receive a grant by Kohl’s A Community with Heart Program. In 2022, JBJ Soul Kitchen in Red Bank and Toms River have served almost 25,000 meals to patrons and our surrounding community with 58% of the meals being served to those in need. The need in our communities continue to rise with the percentage of diners unable to pay for their meals increasing each month. With Kohl’s $30,000 grant, our community restaurants can continue serving healthy meals to those in-need and to the generous donors who support our mission to address issues of food insecurity.

Kohl’s grant to the JBJ Soul Foundation was made through Kohl’s A Community with Heart Program. In the spirit of giving with all of its heart this holiday season, Kohl’s, through its A Community with Heart Program, will donate $8 million in grants to selected nonprofit organizations across the country, demonstrating the company’s ongoing commitment to family health and wellness. Kohl’s store teams and leaders across the country identified and nominated nonprofit recipients from 49 states that are near and dear to their hearts. The full list of selected grant recipients is available on Corporate.Kohls.com.

The donations are made possible through Kohl’s philanthropic merchandise program, Kohl’s Cares®, which sells children’s books and toys and donates 100 percent of the net profit to charitable organizations across the country that improve the health and wellness of families. To learn more about how Kohl’s gives back to communities nationwide, visit Corporate.Kohls.com.

We are so thankful to have been selected once again to receive a grant from Kohl’s who have been a longtime supporter of our mission. This grant will support us in our mission to help break the cycle of hunger, poverty, and homelessness…one SOUL at a time. Thank you!

About Kohl’s

Kohl’s (NYSE: KSS) is a leading omnichannel retailer. With more than 1,100 stores in 49 states and the online convenience of Kohls.com and the Kohl’s App, Kohl’s offers amazing national and exclusive brands at incredible savings for families nationwide. Kohl’s is uniquely positioned to deliver against its strategy and its vision to be the most trusted retailer of choice for the active and casual lifestyle. Kohl’s is committed to progress in its diversity and inclusion pledges, and the company’s environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) stewardship. For a list of store locations or to shop online, visit Kohls.com. For more information about Kohl’s impact in the community or how to join our winning team, visit Corporate.Kohls.com or follow @KohlsNews on Twitter.