Bon Jovi Steps Up Fight Against Poverty With Second 'Soul Kitchen' Location, B.E.A.T. Center
TOMS RIVER, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Rocker Jon Bon Jovi is once again calling attention to the fight against poverty and homelessness.
The New Jersey native joined forces with a group to help feed and house those in need, and as CBS2's Jill Nicolini reported, many are singing his praises.
"When there is 15 percent of children going to bed hungry at night in a nation like the United States these aren't issues that need science to find a cure," he said.
Bon Jovi is no stranger to helping those in need. He opened the JBJ Soul Kitchen in Red Bank almost 5 years ago, and now he is one of three partners in the B.E.A.T. Center "Bringing Everyone All Together."
"So they go to the food pantry, they can get their food, they can go to the culinary program, they can have an opportunity for job training. These are all the things that are now under one roof," he said.
The Foodbank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties and People's Pantry now, along with the new larger second location of The Soul Kitchen is a one stop shop for helping those in need like Christina Donahue who was affected by Superstorm Sandy.
"I think this is the most amazing organization and very grateful to all the people who literally have touched my heart and just makes me want to be more giving in everything I do, just pay it forward," she said.
That's exactly what the Soul Kitchen does at their restaurant. The menus don't have prices.
"We ask our paying customers to defray the cost of our non-paying customers so it is designed to be sustainable just by the virtue of people who come and eat. It's a pay it forward model," Jon's wife Dorothea explained.
Or you can volunteer to work in the kitchen in exchange for a meal.
"Dorothea and I just really believe that we can help affect to change one person at a time by doing something that we understood, which is feeding people," Jon said.
The 12,000-SqFt facility also acts as a town square type of resource center to help those who may need food stamps, health care, and tax preparation.
