Bon Jovi's Soul Kitchen pop-up will stay open at Toms River Library
The pay-it-forward restaurant will operate through April 30.
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A pop-up restaurant started by Jersey rocker Jon Bon Jovi and his wife will remain open inside the Toms River Library until April 30, a local board has decided.
The JBJ Soul Kitchen pop-up was granted an extension that will allow the pay-it-forward restaurant to continue serving meals through the coldest months of the year. The Ocean County Library Commission made the decision following a meeting Wednesday to discuss the controversial situation. In a press release, JBJ Soul Kitchen credits "strong advocacy from library staff, community partners and local residents" for the decision to grant the extension.
The pop-up at the library has been a source of some contention in Toms River since last year. In April, Mayor Daniel Rodrick voiced concerns about the restaurant.
“We think what [Bon Jovi] tries to do for people in need is a positive thing. This is not about Bon Jovi, this is about nonprofits given space by Ocean County (Commissioners) to operate a warming center,” Rodrick said last year.
The JBJ Soul Kitchen pop-up was established at the Ocean County Library at the invitation of the library board in order to expand the restaurant's presence in Toms River, where "the unhoused population in the downtown area has continued to grow," JBJ Soul Kitchen said in a statement.
Similar to the other JBJ Soul Kitchen restaurants in New Jersey, the eatery operates on a pay-it-forward basis with customers who are unable to pay for their meal are invited to volunteer at the restaurant. In the past year, more than 13,500 meals have been served at the Toms River Library location, with 78% of the meals going to those in need. The pop-up has also distributed more than 1,275 hygiene kits and helped hundreds of people find housing and jobs.
"I want to thank the community of downtown Toms River for embracing our Soul Kitchen model," Dorothea Bongiovi, founder of JBJ Soul Kitchen, said in a statement. "The outpouring of encouragement and support has been incredibly humbling."
