Jon Bon Jovi Sponsors Monmouth County Community Restaurant

As parts of the Jersey Shore continue the recovery from Hurricane Sandy, a community restaurant in one of those towns now has a new sponsor: Jon Bon Jovi.

The JBJ Soul Kitchen Community Restaurant, a program of the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, is sponsoring the Spoon Full of Hope, a non-profit community restaurant and outreach program of Gateway Church of Christ in Union Beach, according to a news release on the foundation’s website.

The restaurant began serving dinner on Wednesdays at the Union Hose Fire Co. #1, 1224 Florence Ave., in January.

“Union Beach, like so many other hard-hit communities in our area, is still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy,” Jon Bon Jovi said in a prepared statement. “We recognize that by supporting Spoon Full of Hope, we are not only providing families with a hot, nutritious meal in a warm, welcoming setting but also providing hope to those who are still rebuilding their lives.”

Gigi Liaguno-Dorr, the owner of JakeaBob’s Bay restaurant, is the project manager of the community kitchen.

After Sandy struck, she located her restaurant to a temporary location, but also began volunteering and serving meals, the news release said. In 2013, she worked with Gateway Church of Christ to open the community kitchen, but then it lost its funding last summer.

Since its reopening, the Spoon Full of Hope has served an average of 70 meals a night, with about half feeding patrons who volunteered as payment, the news release said.

Similar to the community restaurant that the singer founded in Red Bank, customers at the Union Beach eatery can either pay a minimum donation or volunteer for an hour to a dining certificate for the volunteer and four family members, according to an AP story posted on NJ.com.

“I had seen the need, witnessed the struggles and knew something had to be done. I wanted to create a warm and welcoming environment where neighbors could laugh, cry and encourage each other to keep on pressing forward,” Liaguno-Dorr said in a prepared statement. “A helping hand, a hot meal, a friendly face, a conversation and hope—these are life’s most rewarding pleasures.”

Photo: JBJ Soul Kitchen Sponsors Spoon Full of Hope Facebook page