Category Archives: Editorial

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Soul Kitchen 2nd Anniversary Celebration!

We hope that you will join us – all events are rain or shine and are free to the public, you do not need to dine at Soul Kitchen to participate. We will be open our normal hours during this celebration weekend!

Wednesday, October 16th / 6-8pm
JBJ Soul Kitchen & 180 Turning Lives Around Presents:
The Ride: Stories of Survival Art Exhibition

Thursday, October 17th / 4:30-6:30pm
Soul Kitchen & NJ Hope and Healing Present: Family Night!
Join us in the Soul Kitchen Gardens for pumpkin picking, fun activities, hot chocolate, cider, cider doughnuts & more!
Donations of items provided by Laurino Farms, Delicious Orchards & Saker ShopRite

Friday, October 18th / 6-7:30pm
Full Moon Meditation in The Garden
Monmouth Zen Circle will be joining us and leading the contemplation and guided meditation. Chairs will be provided.

Saturday, October 19th / 5-6:30pm
Music in The Garden
Enjoy an Outdoor Listening Experience Provided by Local Musicians:
John Nicole – Music of Love
A Couple of Note (Jodi DiLiberto & Vern King) – Traditional Music of the British Isles
Mike Barris – Jazz & Swing

Sunday, October 20th / 12-2pm
Celebration Sunday!
Enjoy Sunday Brunch and music in the Garden as we close our week long celebration with “The Voices of Praise” from Pilgrim Baptist Church at 2pm

Please continue to check back for more information on each night!

If you do not live in the Red Bank area but would like to support Soul Kitchen, you can help us by Paying It Forward. Every $10 we receive will cover the cost of someone’s meal who volunteered as payment. By donating, you are helping us provide meals to those in need.

Please click HERE to donate and support our mission.

Soul Kitchen 2nd Anniversary Celebration!
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Thank You for Joining Our Soul of Hunger Event

Photos can be viewed in our Photo Gallery, please check back as more photos will be added in the next few days.

If you missed the event, you can watch it HERE

Below are some resources for more information on hunger in New Jersey and how you can help:

The FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties – fbmoc.org
The NJ Anti-Hunger Coalition – njahc.org
The JBJ Soul Kitchen – jbjsoulkitchen.org

For more information on the themes and topics covered in the documentary “A Place at the Table”apatt.org

Local Food Banks are a great resource. NJ has five:

Community FoodBank of New Jersey
njfoodbank.org / (908) 355-FOOD (3663)

The FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties
foodbankmoc.org / (732) 918-2600

FoodBank of South Jersey
foodbanksj.org / (856) 662-4884

Mercer Street Friends Food Bank
mercerstreetfriends.org / (609) 406-0503

NORWESCAP
norwescap.org / (908) 454-4322

For information on what YOU can do to:

Help expand school breakfast program:
Advocates for Children of New Jersey – acnj.org

Protect SNAP:
Food and Research Center – frac.org

Expand access to child nutrition programs:
SOS – No Kid Hungry – nokidhungry.org

Organizations, through programs or advocacy, working to alleviate hunger in NJ and/or a national level are:
-Feeding Amercia – feedingamerica.org

-Food Research and Action Center – frac.org

-NJ Anti-Hunger Coalition – njahc.org

-Anti-Poverty Network of NJ – antipovertynetwork.org

Also we are working to answer the questions we received during the panel Q&A. Some of these answers will be posted here, so please check back often.

Thank you for your support, we hope that our event has inspired everyone to take action in the fight against hunger.

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Update on the Merrick Hall Project

As of mid-August, selective demolition has been completed and the final cleanup is occurring in the existing building. The foundation for the apartment addition has been replaced and the walls are being installed inside, with the new interior framing also beginning to take shape.

Update on the Merrick Hall Project

This project is looking at about a 9 month completion schedule and we hope to celebrate the opening in late March or early April 2014. We will keep you updated on this project as things move along and we thank you for your support. Without it, projects like these would not be possible. You are helping us make a difference…one SOUL at a time.

To view photos of the progress at Merrick Hall, visit our PHOTO ALBUM

To read the press release from the groundbreaking, please click HERE

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Applicants Line Up To Apply For Low-Income Housing in Fairmount

Bon Jovi, former owner of the Philadelphia Soul arena football team, is working with Project HOME on “JBJ Soul Homes,” at 15th and Fairmount (see Press Release of groundbreaking).

Sister Mary Scullion, director of Project HOME, says she was surprised to see a line of people waiting before they started handing out applications at 7am. “It just took us off guard,” she told KYW Newsradio today, “and the line just grew and grew and grew. It just seems to be so symptomatic of the need for affordable housing for all segments of our community — not only people who are homeless, which is pretty obvious, but also many working people in our community who need an affordable place to stay.”

Fifteen of the units are reserved for local residents being priced out of the neighborhood as development pushes north up Broad Street. Forty units are for the formerly homeless, including eight that are reserved for homeless youth, as they age out of the foster care system.

The development is expected to open in December.

For the full and original story please visit CBS Philly’s website

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Bon Jovi Donates $1 Million to Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund

To view all the photos from this event, please visit our Photo Gallery

Many of our Community Partners and friends are still in need of help after suffering the devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy. All donations received through this campaign will go directly to assist them in rebuilding. If you would like to donate to the JBJ Soul Foundation Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Fund, please click HERE

Bon Jovi Donates $1 Million to Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund

Below is the full press release from the event:

BON JOVI DONATES $1 MILLION TO HURRICANE SANDY NEW JERSEY RELIEF FUND

Donation will add to the Relief Fund’s efforts to assist organizations involved in home repairs and rebuilding projects throughout New Jersey communities

(Sayreville, NJ) – New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, rock legend Jon Bon Jovi and First Lady Mary Pat Christie announced a $1 million dollar donation from Bon Jovi to the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund, chaired by Mrs. Christie. The ceremony and announcement of the donation took place at the Sayreville Borough Hall with New Jersey’s First Lady Mary Pat Christie, Governor Chris Christie, musician Jon Bon Jovi, Sayreville Mayor Kennedy O’Brien and members of the Sayreville community in attendance.

“This incredibly generous donation from Bon Jovi to the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund will go a long way in the rebuilding process,” said Governor Christie. “From day one, Jon has been one of the most visible faces for Sandy recovery here in his hometown of Sayreville and throughout the entire state. On behalf of a grateful people, I thank Jon and Bon Jovi for all of the great work they’ve done for New Jersey.”

Bon Jovi is a native New Jersey band and was among the all-star line-up for 12/12/12: The Concert for Sandy Relief. In the days immediately following Hurricane Sandy, Jon Bon Jovi toured his hometown of Sayreville, spoke with residents, and witnessed the massive damage firsthand. The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded to combat issues that force families and individuals into economic despair, is active in the ongoing Hurricane Sandy recovery process working with federal, state and local officials to direct donations and resources to local recovery efforts and those in need. This one-million dollar donation by Bon Jovi to the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund represents the band’s ongoing commitment to the people of their home state and to rebuilding a stronger New Jersey together.

“Natural disasters spare no one,” said Bon Jovi frontman, Jon Bon Jovi, a Sayreville native. “But you can’t imagine the devastation, destruction and despair until Mother Nature takes aim at your hometown. This is bittersweet; it’s heartbreaking to see our fellow New Jerseyans so affected by the ravages of Hurricane Sandy but we’re happy to make this donation and offer real, substantial help to the residents of Sayreville and the nearby, low-lying communities as they rebuild their homes and lives.”

The Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund is a non-profit organization that raises and distributes funds to organizations supporting the recovery and rebuilding efforts of New Jersey communities impacted by the storm. The Relief Fund’s priority is to work with community-based non-profit organizations to ensure funds support initiatives such as mental health services, economic development, financial counseling and assistance for those who have lost homes and jobs, mold remediation, and home repairs. Fifty one grants have been awarded to date totaling $11 million, with the next grant cycle to be announced later this week.

“Thousands of New Jersey residents, including many here in Sayreville, still haven’t returned to their homes. This donation will help the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund ‘fill the gap’ between the cost of repairs and other aid received by homeowners to restore or reconstruct their homes,” said New Jersey First Lady Mary Pat Christie. “The generous support we continue to receive from so many around the world and especially from homegrown heroes like Jon Bon Jovi will help fellow New Jerseyans complete the work necessary to make their homes livable.” Mrs. Christie stressed, “We are so grateful to Bon Jovi for the love and commitment they have toward their home state and for this charitable donation to the Relief Fund.”

About the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund
The Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund distributes funds to organizations that support the recovery and rebuilding efforts of New Jersey communities impacted by the storm. The Relief Fund aims to make a sustainable, long-term impact and has awarded 51 grants totaling $11 million, to date, for home rebuilding, mold remediation, mental health support, economic development, and financial and legal counseling. Donors interested in making a contribution can visit the Fund online at www.SandyNJReliefFund.org or make an immediate, one-time $10 donation directly to their phone bill by texting “SANDY” to 20222. Message and data rates may apply.