Visit www.jbjsoulkitchen.org to learn more.

HOURS OF OPERATION:
The JBJ Soul Kitchen currently has seatings for Dinner from 5pm – 7pm on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and from 11:30am – 2pm for Brunch on Sundays.

ADDRESS:
207 Monmouth St.
Red Bank, NJ 07701
Phone: (732) 842-0900

RESERVATIONS are not needed at JBJ Soul Kitchen. We welcome everyone at our table and will seat guests on a first come, first serve basis.

In October 2011, the Foundation expanded by opening the JBJ Soul Kitchen in Red Bank, NJ to address issues of food insecurity, and has since served over 37,000 meals. Most recently Soul Kitchen reached the goal of 51% of the diners paying and 49% in-need. The community kitchen serves nutritious, culinary dishes in a restaurant atmosphere where diners contribute either volunteer hours or a minimum donation for their meals. The JBJ Soul Kitchen runs the Employment and Empowerment Team (EET) Program which connects a team of professionals with qualified volunteers to aid with resume writing, interview skills, job coaching, financial counseling and legal advice.

To read the original press release from the JBJ Soul Kitchen Grand Opening on October 19, 2011 please click here.

To watch the Live Stream from our JBJ Soul Kitchen Press Conference, please visit the Video section of our website.

JBJ Soul Kitchen on the Today Show (air date: 10/21/2011).

To view photos from this event, visit our Photo Gallery

To view a video of Jon Bon Jovi and Dorothea Bongiovi speaking on the importance of creating The B.E.A.T. Center, visit our Video Gallery

“Whether you need access to a food pantry, want to learn about health care benefits or social services, or even receive training through our culinary program, this is a place where everyone is welcome. It is in the true spirit of collaboration that we, the community benefit.”

– Jon Bon Jovi, Chairman of the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation

Toms River, NJ (May 10, 2016) – The FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, Peoples Pantry (INSPIRE NJ) and Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation announced today  the opening of The B.E.A.T. Center (Bringing Everyone All Together) – a place where families and individuals can access food, job training and resources to help end the cyclical causes of hunger in Ocean County.

This “one-stop shop” will serve as a FoodBank satellite location that includes a food distribution center,  production kitchen for at-risk children in after school programs, culinary skills training program and resources such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program also known as food stamps), healthcare and free tax preparation, as well as the permanent home of Peoples Pantry, a client-choice model food pantry and a second location of JBJ Soul Kitchen, a non-profit community restaurant where diners can pay for their meal by making a minimum donation of $10 or volunteering to work in the kitchen and restaurant.

“The B.E.A.T. Center functions like a 21^st century town square where programs and services are brought together and where the community can gather to get help and give help,” said FoodBank Executive Director, Carlos Rodriguez.  “We know that there are 1 in 8 people in Ocean County who struggle with hunger.  We support 134 feeding programs in Ocean County and the need for resources beyond food is critical.  We aim to shorten the food lines by providing a variety of resources that lead to financial health and well-being. Having all of that under one roof is a game changer.”

Ocean County is New Jersey’s fastest growing county and was “ground zero” for Hurricane Sandy.  According to FEMA, over 40,000 structures in the county were damaged or destroyed in the storm – 55% of the state’s total.  The creation of The B.E.A.T. Center is in response to the reality that today, more than three years after the storm, there are thousands of families who are still struggling to regain housing, financial stability and to overcome food insecurity—and they are turning to local agencies in record numbers for assistance.

“Of all of the lessons learned from Sandy, the most jarring one was how financially stretched our middle class neighbors are. This collaboration will allow us to continue our work and provide the services that are so desperately needed and deserved by this under served demographic,” said Patricia Donaghue, Executive Director of The Peoples Pantry (INSPIRE NJ).

Ocean County Hunger Facts:

• 1 in 5 Ocean County residents are low-income (200% of poverty) or poor (at or below poverty) – that’s $15,000 for a family of 4.

• 71,300 residents, or 1 in 8 people in Ocean County receive food and benefits.

• Seniors make up 21.4% of the population compared to the 14.1% statewide.

• Nearly 13% of New Jersey’s veterans live in Ocean County.

• There are 134 feeding programs in Ocean County. Programs include Pantries, Mobile Sites, Soup Kitchens, Shelters, After School and Back Pack, Senior Food and others.

The impact of this collaboration is projected to provide $5 million in support to families in need in its first year.  One of The B.E.A.T. Center’s goals is to also establish a strong, visible presence in Ocean County that will raise hunger awareness, attract volunteers and advocates, and encourage food donations and financial support.  The B.E.A.T. Center is being launched with initial philanthropic support from The David Tepper Foundation, and a generous grant from the OceanFirst Foundation.

“We are excited to be involved in the creation of the B.E.A.T. Center,” said David Tepper, founder of the David Tepper Charitable Foundation, Inc. “This is a unique partnership and fresh approach to meeting the needs of those members of our community that are suffering economic hardship. The B.E.A.T. Center brings a combination of critical yet basic services under one roof and provides our citizens with a central location where they can get the help they need. It’s a tremendous concept and we are confident that facilities like the B.E.A.T. Center can become a model to help families attain food security and financial stability.”

The B.E.A.T. Center is now open to the public.  It is located at 1769 Hooper Avenue, Toms River, NJ, and is accessible by public transportation.  For more information and to learn how to help, please visit www.thebeatcenter.org.

For more pictures of JBJ Soul Homes please visit our Photo Gallery

For video of Jon Bon Jovi’s Speech please visit our Video Gallery

PROJECT HOME CELEBRATES OPENING OF JBJ SOUL HOMES

Funders Jon Bon Jovi and Middleton Family Join City Officials to Open the Mixed-Use Development for Formerly Homeless, Teens Aging out of Foster Care and Low-Income Individuals

PHILADELPHIA, April 22, 2014 – Project HOME announced today the grand opening of JBJ Soul Homes, a four-story mixed-use development that includes retail, offices and 55 apartment units for formerly homeless and low-income people. With remarks by Jon Bon Jovi, public officials and community partners, the opening will serve as the first part of Project HOME’s 25th Anniversary.

“The single most effective way to end homelessness is affordable housing,” said Sister Mary Scullion, who co-founded Project HOME in 1989. “Over time, JBJ Soul Homes will give hundreds of people a permanent home with supportive services that will allow them to flourish.”

JBJ Soul Homes’ residents will have access to all Project HOME services including basic medical care and fitness classes through its Health Initiative Program, employment training through its Employment Services Department, education access through its Honickman Learning Center and computer use through its Comcast Technology Labs.

The building received both private and public funding. The lead private funding came from the JBJ Soul Foundation, Leigh and John Middleton, and Elizabeth Moran and the lead public funding came from US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the City of Philadelphia. People for People, Inc. will manage the retail space and Project HOME is managing the residences.

“The opening of the JBJ Soul Homes is another example of what I like to call, The Power of WE” stated Jon Bon Jovi, Chairman of the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation. “It is a natural continuation of the work that we do, which started with the youth at Covenant House several years ago.”

The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, with its lead gift for the development of this project, provides leadership in affordable housing in Philadelphia and in its Soul Home in Newark, NJ. Mimi Box, JBJ Soul Foundation Director said, “We are committed to promoting innovation and long-lasting solutions to rebuilding pride in one’s self and one’s community, one SOUL at a time.”

JBJ Soul Homes is the second project of the Middleton Partnership. The Middleton Partnership, funded by a transformational leadership gift from Leigh and John Middleton and leveraging the support of both public and private funders, supports Project HOME’s strategy to end chronic street homelessness in Philadelphia over the next few years.

For more information about the JBJ Soul Homes and Project HOME, or how you can help, visit projecthome.org

To see photos from Joseph’s House, please visit our Photo Gallery

CAMDEN, N.J. – As part of his ongoing commitment to help the residents of Camden, Jon Bon Jovi today visited the future home of Joseph’s House of Camden. Joseph’s House is a new homeless facility that is being partially funded by the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation and is supported by The Joseph Fund – a Camden-based organization created in 2012 to provide fundraising and consultative support to the six ministries served by St. Joseph’s Pro-Cathedral.

Bon Jovi was joined by Camden Mayor Dana Redd, donors supporting the initiative and residents who have benefited from services of The Joseph Fund.

“We remain committed to Camden,” Jon Bon Jovi said about the Soul Foundation’s involvement in this project. “Today we have had the opportunity to see the progress on what a year ago was just a vision. We offer our sincere thanks to all the organizations and individuals involved in making Joseph’s House possible.”

The mission of Joseph’s House is to work collaboratively with others to aid the homeless men and women of Camden by offering a continuum of services including emergency shelter, a range of supportive housing, and access to comprehensive social services. Previously, Joseph’s House operated as a temporary, six-month facility offering food and shelter for the area’s chronically homeless during the winter months. When complete, the new site of Joseph’s House will accommodate 75 adults each night, providing food, shelter and support services for Camden’s homeless population year-round, with a longer-term goal of developing day programs.

“We understand the importance of providing onsite social services in addressing the long-term cycle of homelessness. With this new facility, we will expand those services to more men and women in need and help them secure stable futures,” said John Klein, executive director, Joseph’s House.

“Joseph’s House is designed to connect individuals with services that can lead them out of homelessness. Through help from our community partners, we hope to provide the help necessary for those who visit us to escape poverty,” said Monsignor McDermott, board chairman of The Joseph Fund and pastor, St. Joseph’s Pro-Cathedral, who helped Klein spearhead the transition of Joseph’s House from a temporary facility into a year-round operation.

Joseph’s House will partner with Project H.O.P.E., an organization dedicated to serving the medical and social needs of the homeless population, to provide case management services and health care, mental health and substance abuse services. In addition, Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center will operate a free onsite medical clinic utilizing volunteer physicians and nurses.

“The physical collaboration of providing shared services in one facility is unique to the city of Camden. Joseph’s House will be the only shelter offering this array of social services under one roof,” said Mark Hodges, executive director, The Joseph Fund.

Renovations of the building, located at 555 Atlantic Ave. in Camden, began in September and will continue to undergo renovations in order to house the Café Program, administrative offices and offices for social service partners of Joseph’s House. The project is expected to be completed by December 2013.

In addition to support from the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, Joseph’s House is being funded by contributions from the TD Bank Foundation, Halloran Philanthropies and Mr. and Mrs. Richard Haydinger.

Since 2006, the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation has provided solutions and opportunity for families and individuals in economic despair. The organization assists in establishing programs that provide food and affordable housing for those affected by poverty and homelessness, while supporting social services and job-training programs.

The Joseph Fund supports six ministries that provide housing and youth programs, convert abandoned buildings into affordable homes, and much more to the Camden community. In addition to Joseph’s House, programs of The Joseph Fund include The St. Joseph’s Carpenter Society, St. Joseph’s Elementary School, The Child Development Center, Lifting Up Camden’s Youth (L.U.C.Y.), and Romero Center Ministries.