JBJ Soul Kitchen Open House Marks B.E.A.T. Center Anniversary

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The B.E.A.T. Center and the JBJ Soul Kitchen are marking their first anniversary with an open house on Saturday and a fundraising effort to bolster its work helping those who need a hand up as they battle difficult circumstances.

The JBJ Soul Kitchen, a nonprofit restaurant that is part of Jon Bon Jovi's JBJ Foundation, provides hot, nutritious meals to those who are in need with assistance from its paying customers, without creating an atmosphere of shame.

"The JBJ Soul Kitchen seeks to provide healthy, organic and locally grown food in a restaurant setting. We empower individuals by providing volunteer opportunities in exchange for a dining certificate for themselves and their family and by providing job training in the food industry," the mission statement says. "We allow our paying customers to effect change in their community by paying it forward to cover the cost of volunteering customers. We promise to treat all our customers with dignity and respect, while uniting communities and forming healthy and lasting relationships through food."

The B.E.A.T. Center, of which the JBJ Soul Kitchen is part, also provides counseling and assistance to families seeking help through the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, which helps those in need navigate applying for SNAP benefits, help with tax returns and more. The center also is home to The People's Pantry, a food pantry serving the needy.

The three organizations work together to not only fight food insecurity, but also to help people faced with serious challenges get back on their feet.

Those who pay are asked for a $20 donation per meal to help cover the costs of the meals of those who are in need; those who cannot pay can receive meal vouchers by contributing volunteer hours at the restaurant.

The open house on Saturday is from noon to 3:30 p.m. to "thank the Toms River community for their support over the last year," a post on the restaurant's Facebook page says. "Stop by to say hi, enjoy a bite of Soul Kitchen and leave a message of hope on one of our hand prints that will be on display."

The JBJ Soul Kitchen is on Hooper Avenue in the Silverton section of Toms River.

The restaurant serves dinner Wednesdays through Saturdays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and brunch on Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and will be serving dinner Saturday evening.

If you can't get to the center on Saturday, or just want to make a donation, the restaurant is asking people to "Raise your Hand with Jon Bon Jovi" to help combat hunger. Bon Jovi traced his hand on a template and dozens of handprints have been made from his original.

Donors who contribute a minimum of $20 get their messages printed on Bon Jovi's handprint and are being displayed at Soul Kitchen Toms River during the celebration.

Click here to take part.

They also are posting photos of the handprints on our social media sites so be sure to check and look for yours. You can find them on Instagram and on Facebook.

Photos of Jon Bon Jovi from the B.E.A.T. Center opening in May 2016 by Karen Wall